The Underground Prophecy
by Aoife Tiernay
Summary: Ro, Sarah's daughter, decides to wish herself to the Underground. Sarah, in turn, returns to save her with many surprises, including a deadly prophecy that one man is determined to fulfill.
1. Prolouge

Author's Note --- _This is my first posted Labyrinth fanfic. No, I'm not taking a break on my other stories, I've just had this sitting around after working on it for about two years and I've finally decided to get it up and out there. Please read and review and if you so chose, ask questions, leave comments, etc on my forum for it. Thanks!_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Prologue --- "…As the world falls down…"

In the early evening, three bubbles made their way over a deserted city and through a dense forest. A teenage girl, sitting against a tree, watched them approach. In one of them was an elegantly dressed couple waltzing. In another was another couple dancing. In the last was her music box, playing its soothing high-pitched melody. She could see the female dancer on it spinning around, her brown curly hair flowing behind her. Slowly, the dancer became the girl.

The bubbles began to make their way back towards the city. A fox called out "Milady" for a third time and glanced for a last look at the forest they had just made their way out of. His shaggy white noble steed jumped back, startled, and he noticed the bubbles making their way towards them. The orange beast that stood next to him grunted in surprise at the bubbles. They watched the three bubbles become one and float towards the castle at the middle of the city. They quickly followed; hoping that the lady they were looking for was safe.

As the three companions followed the traveling bubble, they watched intrigued. They could see very little but what they could manage to make out was extraordinary. People were dressed up as though they were at a ball. They could see white walls lined with mirrors, enormous chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, adorned with ropes of pearls and they could hear a very faint melody playing.

Inside the bubble, standing off to one side, the girl observed quite a scene. Men and women flirting, dancing, laughing and having a good time flashed before her eyes. The men wore masks, wigs, breeches and loose shirts of many colors. The women wore large ball gowns, masks and sparkling jewelry. Music twinkled in the background, a song she knew so well.

As these people acted before her eyes, the girl stood quietly watching, wondering if she belonged here. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her. Her own large virginal white ball gown stood quietly around her legs. The long puffy sleeves swallowed her thin arms. Around her neck sat a large diamond necklace. Hanging from her ears were diamond chandelier earrings. Her long chocolate hair was curled and pulled back off her face with silver leaves threaded throughout.

She walked a few steps, staring at the people surrounding her. A woman's cackle startled the girl, causing her to look that way. One lone figure stood across the ballroom in the middle of the moving people, watching her. He lowered his black mask from his face as her eyes passed over him. She caught his eye and gasped silently.

_There's such a sad love_

_Deep in your eyes_

She stared longingly at the man who was decked out in black tights, a white ruffled poet shirt and a black frock with many blue jewels. He was singing so softly that she could barely hear the words. He smiled knowingly at her. Another man stepped in front of him, bowing to his partner. Once the man finally moved, he no longer stood there.

_A kind of pale jewel_

_Open and closed within your eyes_

_I'll place the sky within your eyes_

The girl edged her way past couples dancing, people laughing and having a good time. She arrived at the spot where the man had once stood. There was no sign of him. She glanced around the white room for a glimpse of him. She continued walking, not giving up hope.

_There's such a fooled heart_

_Beating so fast in search of new dreams_

A man with a trunk beckoned to the girl as she eased her way past him. She paused for a second. He opened the trunk and out popped what she supposed to be a bird. She gasped in fright at the skinny neck with no feathers and bulging eyes. The couples surrounding her laughed at her.

_A love that will last within your heart _

_I'll place the moon within your heart_

She walked away from the cruel bunch, not caring to be with them. She had to find the strange man. She had not yet spotted him but felt sure that he was close by. Little did she know, he was standing right next to her, hidden behind a woman's fan. When she walked away, the woman lowered the fan and he grinned at her in thanks.

_As the pain sweeps through_

_Makes no sense for you_

_Every thrill has gone_

_Wasn't too much fun at all_

_But I'll be there for you_

_As the world falls down_

_Falling _

_Falling_

_Falling in love_

Though she could not see him, she heard him singing his song to her. She vaguely listened to the words as she hurried past people trying to find him. The song wasn't important; he was.

_I'll paint you mornings of gold_

_I'll spin you Valentine evenings_

_Though we're strangers till now_

The girl stumbled into a group of three women standing in front of her. They gazed into mirrors that fit in the palms of their hands. In their other hands were large feathered fans, cutting off her path. As she glanced about, searching for another way to walk, the women slowly lowered their fans. She turned her attention to the opening. There stood the man.

_We're choosing the path between the stars_

_I'll leave my love between the stars_

Her lips parted slightly, quite involuntary, as she realized just how handsome he was. He had wild long blonde hair that was spiky on top and fell onto his shoulders, glowing mismatched eyes, one blue, the other brown. He was wearing a midnight blue frock coat covered in jewels over his black breeches and white ruffled poet shirt. He offered her a gloved hand and she accepted without hesitation.

_As the pain sweeps through _

_Makes no sense for you_

_Every thrill has gone_

_Wasn't too much fun at all_

Taking her into his arms, he led her into a waltz. Dancing past another couple, he pulled her close to him. After they had passed, he didn't let her go. She decided that she didn't mind being with him. She now listened to the song, realizing that she would be with him forever if she chose so. She gazed into his eyes, wondering if the things he told her were lies or that he truly loved her.

_But I'll be there for you_

_As the world falls down_

As they danced, she glanced at the gold clock on a wall and realized that it was almost twelve o'clock. Something was dreadfully wrong. She didn't know what it was but she could feel it. She gazed about and noticed how crowded in they were. The couples had stopped dancing and stood about, staring at them. The women's eyes laughed at her mockingly, the men smirked at her and their smirks were all too knowing.

_Falling_

Realizing what these people wanted to see, the girl broke out of her silent trance and pushed the man away. The gold clock began to chime twelve. She struggled through the crowd, pushing her way past the people. He stopped singing to her but the music continued faintly and his smile turned to a worried frown as he watched as she ran away.

_Falling_

His eyes followed her retreating back. An eyebrow raised in confusion. He had just wanted to make her dreams come true and show her that he was truly a caring person, not just some terrible villain.

_Falling in love_

The girl ran to the vacant tables tucked deep in a corner, far from everyone else. She quickly looked over the mirrored wall holding her in. She glanced around for something to break it with. A white chair lay just out of reach. She grabbed it and smashed it into the wall. The wall shattered but the wall, being not a wall but a bubble, popped and the girl was thrown out, floating into blackness.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere, far away from this dream fantasy, a young woman woke up from her sleep, gasping for breath. She sat up in bed, thinking, as the sweat poured down her forehead and back. It was only a dream, a silly dream that could never happen. But to this woman it had happened once and was as real as herself.


	2. I Wish

Author's Note --- _Alrighty then, here be the first chapter! Hope ya'll enjoy it! Feel free to review/comment on my forum for the story._

Chapter One ---"I wish…."

"Give me the child. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle, beyond the Goblin City, to take back the child that you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom as great. You have no power over me!" she read aloud from the small red book. She flipped back through the pages to another spot and quickly changed her mood. Her eyes widened as she tried to act frightened. She almost whispered, "You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King. I want my brother back, if it's all the same…I appreciate what you're offering but I want my brother back. He must be so scared…Is that the Castle Beyond the Goblin City?…I can't. Don't you understand that I can't?"

"Rowena?" a voice called. She froze and became silent. Footsteps crunched towards her. "Ro!" the voice called again. There was a moment of silence. "Ro, if you're out here, please come in. It's time for dinner." The footsteps slowly faded away and Rowena Williams-Callaghan inhaled, catching her breath. She slowly crawled out of the theater she had made in the woods in the back of her house. It wasn't a good theater only containing some junk she had found laying around that she used as props.

"This is not junk!" she quoted as she untied the homemade dress from her slender body. She had ordered a real medieval dress but this would have to deal for now. Underneath were her blue jeans; black Converse and black blouse were comfortable and easy for her to move in. She flipped her long chocolate hair over her shoulder and marched into the large blue Victorian.

In the woods, a white barn owl watched the teenager in all her spunky glory stalk into the house. If she were as much like her mother as he believed her to be then his plan would go accordingly.

Inside the house, Rowena sauntered into the kitchen, past her mother, who sat at the table eating. She sank into her chair and thought a quick prayer of grace. Mother and daughter ate in silence, while her mother looked over the script for a new movie. Rowena watched her mother in slight boredom.

"Is that all you're going to do? Sit there and read?" she asked after a few moments. Her mother looked up.

"Sorry but Mark wants an answer by Monday if I'm in or not," she responded. She put the script down on the table and looked straight at Ro. "Why? Do you want to talk?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Well, what about?" she asked, her eyes drifting between her daughter and the script.

"How about my life?"

"What about it? Is everything all right?" she asked cautiously.

Rowena hesitated. She could tell her mother how much she wished that she could escape and how she wished that they could talk and how much she wished her father were back. "Yeah," she whispered with tears in her eyes. "Everything's fine."

Her mother paused a moment, glancing at the script again, missing the hurt in Ro's voice. "That's good." Rowena blinked past her tears at her mother before storming upstairs, leaving her dinner untouched. Her mother glanced up as she watched her run away and sighed.

Sarah Williams-Callaghan, famous actress, age thirty-five, was not who she used to be. She used to be the 'Best Mum Ever' but after the tragedy, she had thrown herself into her movies, ignoring any problems around her. She leaned back in her chair, fingering the small silver key around her neck. Everything had changed so quickly in seven long months.

Sarah stood up and collected the dishes. She scraped the remaining food into the garbage and filled the sink with water. She washed the dishes and enjoyed the scalding water and soap run through her fingers. She retrieved the broom from the closet and swept the floor. She put the broom against the counter and began waltzing around the kitchen, singing "Some Day My Prince Will Come". Before her closed eyes, a figure emerged. It had long blonde hair, striking mismatched eyes. She opened her eyes quickly and the figure disappeared.

"That wasn't whom I had in mind," she sighed, glancing around, making sure the figure had only been in her imagination. She put the broom back in the closet and headed upstairs. She glanced at Rowena's door and hesitated. She decided to leave her alone for a little while. She turned right into her lilac colored bedroom. She opened her closet door and stepped into the enormous room. Colorful clothes hung from the racks and many pairs of shoes were lined neatly on the floor. Sarah grabbed the handle of a large trunk that was buried underneath a pile of clothes. She tugged the heavy trunk out of the closet and into the middle of her room. She had pulled it close to her bed when she almost dropped it on her foot as she heard a scream from down the hall.

---------------------------

After she'd thundered upstairs and slammed the door to her room, Ro had collapsed on the sky blue comforter that covered the mattress on the floor, tears streaming down her face.

"You're so self centered, cruel and blind! Why doesn't anyone understand me?" she whispered. She turned on her back and gazed at the poster of M.C. Escher's Hand With Reflective Sphere as her tears stopped slowly. It enchanted her, made her think. Sometimes, she could have sworn that face was different, a different man or what not. Maybe it was just her over-active imagination.

Sighing, she slid off her mattress onto the floor, pushed herself to her feet and wiped the tears from her face. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out the little red book. The leather cover had an old texture to it. The lettering on it was gold and peeling slightly, Labyrinth. She had found lying around in Sarah's bedroom the day after the accident.

"Somebody save me, somebody take me away from this awful place!" she cried. Getting no response, she turned the page. "Oh, I'll say the words! No…I mustn't. I mustn't say. I can bear it no longer! Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be, take this child of mine, far away from me! Oh, I wish the goblins would come and take me away from here," she said. Receiving no response again, she glanced back at the book and added, "Right now."

Suddenly, the lights in her room began to flicker. She gasped and opened her door. Only the lights in her room were flickering. She closed the door, leaned against it and closed her eyes. It had begun to rain outside and she could hear the thunder. She heard the French doors to the standing balcony swing open. She opened her eyes and screamed.

Before her stood a tall man dressed in black. His smile turned to a frown as he heard footsteps far down the hall hurrying to the room. He waved his hand and the French doors closed, locking them selves and the lights stopped their flickering. He materialized in front of Rowena. He locked her door and looked at her. She opened her mouth to scream again. A gloved hand seized her around the waist, pulling her towards him. He put another hand over her mouth and put his mouth next to her ear. He whispered, "Tell your mother you were only acting." Rowena nodded, her gray eyes frightened as Sarah knocked on the door.

"Rowena! Ro, darling, are you alright?" she asked through the door, twisting the doorknob.

The man removed his hand and Rowena was free to answer. Putting on her best acting skills she snapped, "I'm fine, Mom. Just acting. Don't get so worked up."

Sarah sighed in relief behind the door. "Okay…um…I'll be in my room if you need me." Rowena heard her mother walking back down the hallway. She turned her head to see the man who was holding her. His long blonde hair hung down over his shoulders and was spiky on top. _It was definitely an eighties look_, she thought sarcasticallyHe had mismatched eyes, one brown one blue. He was pale but extremely handsome. She twisted slowly out of his grasp and gazed upon him in awe.

"Hello Rowena," he said seductively, a mysterious smile dancing on his lips.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

------------------------

Back in her bedroom, her heart racing, Sarah sunk in front of the trunk. She had been so scared; Ro's scream had been so real. She may be a better actress than Sarah had originally thought. She fumbled with the key that hung around her neck. She pulled it off and inserted the key into the lock on the trunk. It clicked open and she gently lifted the top. Pictures and papers fell out onto her lap. One picture caught her attention. It was of her, Rowena and her husband, Colin.

Tears filled Sarah's eyes as she remembered the tragic accident. She and Ro had been living in Pennsylvania where she had been filming a movie. She played a woman living in the American Revolution in Philadelphia and Ro was cast as an extra. Colin had decided to take a few days off from work, drive out to Pennsylvania and surprise his two favorite girls. A drunk driver hit him late one night in Ohio. Colin had died immediately. She continued to rummage through the trunk. Another picture caught her eye. It was of her and Rowena on her daughter's fifteenth birthday. They looked so happy and close like a real family should. Turning her attention to the pictures, she began to organize them to keep her mind off a terrible yet wonderful dream she had last night.


	3. You Have Thirteen Hours

Chapter Two --- "You have thirteen hours…"

"I am Jareth, King of the Goblins," he introduced himself and bowed. Rowena gaped at him.

"You…you can't be! That book is…it's a piece of fiction!" she exclaimed. He smirked. She turned her back on him and crossing her arms, said, "I refuse to believe it." He raised an eyebrow.

"What if I prove to you that I am the Goblin King?" he questioned, an amused look dancing in his eyes. Ro spun around to face him, placing her hands on her hips.

"I should like to see you try!" She eyed him cautiously, not knowing what to make of this man who claimed to be the King of the Goblins from her favorite fantasy book.

"Of course you would." He waved his hand and a crystal ball appeared. "Look." Rowena carefully peered into the crystal, afraid of what she might see. "There is my castle at the center of the labyrinth, just beyond the Goblin City, Underground. But look at it this way. These are your dreams? You want to become a famous actress like your mother and grandmother. Yes, well, I have something much better for you."

Rowena glanced up at him, slightly interested. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

He began to pace her blue bedroom, not looking at her. "I am King of the Goblins, yet you notice that I have no queen." She nodded as he paused and glanced at her. "You could be her, my queen," he suggested. Rowena gasped. She imagined herself as a queen. But…

"What of the girl in the book?" the words fell out of her mouth. She couldn't help but notice that he grew slightly flustered, as though he had not thought of that.

"What of her?" he asked.

"Do you still love her?"

"Of course not. It's just a fictional story after all!"

She laughed nervously. "I don't have to go through the labyrinth, do I?" she asked.

It was his turn to laugh. "No, my sweet. What do you think?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "If I change my mind, would I be able to return?"

"Oh no, my dear Rowena. You see it would not be fit for a queen to run away from her people. Would it?"

She shook her head. "I see your point, Your Majesty--"

He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I would prefer that you call me Jareth."

"I see your point, Jareth, yet I feel that getting married at the age of fifteen is quite unacceptable. What would the people say?" she argued.

"Yes…" Jareth said, becoming lost in thought. Rowena watched him carefully for a sign that he would reconsider. He reached out and cupped her chin in his hand. "We can wait for your sixteenth birthday."

She pulled away and exclaimed, "That's in a week!"

"In the Underground, people age much slower, so you will have time to prepare. Please, my dear. I beg of you. I am very much in need of a queen."

Rowena glanced at his handsome face and slowly nodded her head at the pleading look in his eyes. _He must be really desperate to come to me_, she thought. "What must I bring?" she asked instead.

"Nothing. Whatever you wish for, I shall provide," he replied. He turned to face the window and gazed at the now clear sky and shining stars. She joined him and he looked down at her kindly.

"Ready?" he asked, smiling kindly.

"Yes." She accepted his outstretched hand, closed her eyes and swallowed, bracing herself for whatever she had to do. Jareth squeezed her hand and she felt a slight lurch in her stomach. She opened her eyes and before her stood a handsome old castle.

---------------------------

In the bathroom, Sarah stood before the full-length mirror, examining herself. She had discovered her cream colored medieval costume from years ago. When she had moved to California, she had packed it away, knowing that she would have real costumes soon enough.

Watching herself turn in the mirror, she realized that it was incredible that it still fit, even after she had given birth. She laughed to herself; after all she was an actress. She had to look good, no matter what. It was required in her life of the rich and famous. She pulled out her makeup bag and carefully a little black eyeliner, black mascara and bronze eye shadow. Finished with her makeup, she threaded the crown of flowers delicately through her hair and pined them there.

"Oh, Merlin…I don't believe it! It's seven o'clock!" the words flew out of her mouth unexpectedly. She watched herself in the mirror and saw a glimpse of the fifteen year old, buried deep underneath the thirty-five year old. She turned away from the mirror, frightened. She walked into her bedroom and glanced at the digital alarm clock to clear her thoughts. It was almost thirteen o'clock. She walked past but suddenly realized what she had seen. She spun around and glared at the clock. It now read twelve o'clock. Relief flooded through her body. She probably just needed to sleep. First she would check in on Rowena.

Sarah quietly tiptoed towards Ro's bedroom. She tried to open the door but it was locked. She knocked lightly on the door. Receiving no response, she knocked a little louder. _Ro wasn't a heavy sleeper; she should have heard that_, Sarah thought. Worried, she pulled a bobby pin out of the crown of flowers and carefully picked the lock. She heard a soft click and quietly pushed the door open. Expecting to see Ro sound asleep on her bed, she saw nothing.

Her breath catching in her throat, Sarah glanced about. Rowena couldn't have snuck out the front or back doors, not if the door was locked. It had to be shut to lock. She couldn't have climbed out the French doors, which were also locked. Sarah paced back and forth, looking for something that was out of place. Ro's clothes were all in the closet. The stuffed animals had not been touched. The comforter was wrinkled as though someone had been lying there not long ago. On the desk lay a small red book.

Sarah's knees buckled from underneath her as she realized where her daughter was. She was in the Underground. She might never see her again if she was in Jareth's powers. Only God knew what could happen to her. Anxiety crawled into Sarah's heart. She had to find Ro, but how? How to get to the Underground? Last time Jareth had transported her. She had to find another way to break the boundary between Aboveground and Underground.

After several long moments of thinking, an idea came to her. When she had popped the fantasy bubble, a shard of the bubble had been caught in her arm. She had yanked it free and stuck it in her jeans pocket. When she had returned home, she cut a small hole in it and threaded a chain through it. She'd never worn it for it brought back too many memories but she often wondered if it possessed any magic to bring her to the Underground.

She placed the chain around her neck and clasped the hook. The shard began to give off a warm heat against her chest and glowed a bright blue. She winced against the light but watched in fascination as a bubble began to form around her. She floated up into the air. A blue flash blinded her and she cried out. Her head was pounding. She floated to the ground and the bubble popped. She landed in dust and lay there in pain. A fuzzy shadow blocked her view from the sun. She couldn't see who or what it was for she fell into unconsciousness.

-------------------------

In his throne room, Jareth watched Rowena in fascination as she watched the goblins. Chuckling to himself, he found her name quite suitable for a child of Sarah's. She had named her after Princess Rowena, adopted daughter of Lord Cedric of Rotherwood, wife and longtime friend to Ivanhoe, one of Sarah's childhood heroes. He noticed how similar she and her mother looked. They could have been twins. They both had dark chocolate colored hair, big gray eyes, wide faces, long lean bodies and dangerous attitudes. Twenty years was too long to wait. He was going to have her this time. She couldn't turn down his offer. It was just too tempting for her. His malicious plan was to use her innocent fifteen-year-old daughter and she would gratefully come to Jareth in exchange for her daughter. She wouldn't beat him again.

Rowena turned towards Jareth. He cleared his head of his thoughts and focused his attention on her. He smiled and beckoned to her. She approached him slowly and accepted his gloved hand. He stood and led her to the balcony outside. The goblins tried to follow their king and soon to be queen but Jareth shut the doors, keeping them inside.

"Look," he said after a moment. "This is all to be yours." He gestured to the labyrinth and the kingdoms beyond. Ro looked for the first time upon the labyrinth. She saw an old maze and the forest that bordered the edge. She doubted that she would ever make it through the complicated maze if she should ever need to find her way through.

As if reading her mind, Jareth turned towards her and said, "You will come to love the labyrinth. It is now your home. It looks difficult but I'm sure you'd be able to find your way through. It took me long enough," he sighed, gazing over his kingdom. "What do you think of it?" he asked suddenly. He stared at her intently, awaiting an answer.

She glanced at the landscape before her and replied, "The truth is, it's a bit dreary and bleak." He nodded, encouraging her. She paused before continuing. "It's all brown and boring. Do you not like color?"

"I appreciate color yet an old curse lays on the land causing it to have this appearance. Only…one person can break that curse. It has been this way ever since I can remember," he replied wisely. Stealing a glance at him, she noted the sadness in his eyes.

"Would you care to see your chambers?" he asked facing her. She nodded.

As they walked back through the throne room, the goblins stared at Rowena in wonder. She looks familiar, they whispered. But seeing as how most goblins have extremely short memories, they could not remember whom they were reminded of.

-----------------------

Everything was blurry and bright as she tried to open her eyes. Her head pounded furiously and she groaned.

"Sarah?" She looked up and saw a wrinkled brown face and a pair of piercing blue eyes peering into hers.

"Hoggle? Is that you?" she whispered and winced in pain.

"Yeah, it's me. What happened to ye?" he asked sternly. Sarah attempted to sit up. Her head spun around in circles. She leaned against a rock for support. Hoggle squatted in front of her, waiting for her to speak.

"I used my necklace to transport me here. It worked; a bubble formed around me then there was a flash of blue light. I felt pain and the bubble popped. I fell to the ground and everything went black," she remembered.

"What necklace?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh, after you gave me the peach, Jareth transported me to a dream bubble. I popped the bubble that we were stuck in and a shard of glass had gotten caught in my arm. I had pulled it out and kept it as a memory of my adventure. I had made it into a necklace, hoping someday I could come back here. Well, here I am." She winced again as she shifted.

Hoggle hesitated before asking, "Can I see it?"

"The shard?" He nodded. She put a hand up to her neck. The chain wasn't there. She felt around her collarbone for the shard but it wasn't there either. Instead, there was a warm heat giving off from her chest where the shard had been. She untied the first two ribbons of her dress and looked at her chest. Above her breasts, an imprint of a small lily trapped in a circle glowed a pale blue. She gasped as she also noticed a small K and E intertwined on her palm.

Hoggle stared in disbelief. "What did ye do?" he exclaimed.

"I didn't do anything. I just used the magic to get me here," she whispered in shock, forgetting her pain.

"Magic, ey? Well, now ye've done it. The magic has absorbed into your bloodstream," he sneered slightly.

"Do you mean that…?"

"That ye have now some magical powers."

"No," she whispered. She closed her eyes and asked, "How do you know?"

"Try to do something."

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Anything." Sarah thought about what Jareth could do. He could materialize, change into an owl and make things appear. She decided to do something easy. She opened her eyes as she felt a prick on her finger. She stared in disbelief at her hand. There lay a perfect red rose alive and beautiful and a small spot of blood on her finger where a perfect thorn decided to prick her. She threw it into the pool of water close to the entrance of the labyrinth.

Hoggle nodded. "Just why did ye want to come back 'ere? Ye ain't going through the labyrinth again, are ye?" he asked, after a moment.

"I have to, Hoggle. Jareth has taken my daughter, Rowena," Sarah sighed.

"Ye gots a daughter?" he asked in confusion.

"Yes."

"What's she look like? 'Ow old is she?"

"Ro's almost sixteen. She looks like me when I was her age."

"Ye're older, prettier, but older," he grumbled under his breath. Sarah hugged the dwarf. He looked embarrassed. "Now, why go through the labyrinth again if ye have magic on yer side?" he asked.

"Because Jareth doesn't even know that I'm here yet. He can't know I have powers, he mustn't find out," she explained. She stood up slowly. She glanced at the entrance to the labyrinth. "Would you care to escort an old friend through a terrible old labyrinth?"

"'Gain?" Hoggle sighed. "Why did Jareth take yer daughter?"

"She probably called on the goblins. Either that or he's using her as bait like he did with Toby," Sarah said. "I just hope that I can find her before anything happens to her." She looked at the entrance and approached it. She pushed the air in front of her with her hand and the door creaked open. "I could get use to this," she muttered. Hoggle cautiously followed behind her, not wanting to return to the mysteries of the maze. The two friends began their quest, almost the same one they had taken twenty years before.

-----------------------

Jareth sat in his crystal room, fingers drumming on the desk. He debated whether or not to peek in on Sarah. He reached for the nearest crystal and said, "Show me Sarah." Shocked, he saw her at the entrance to the labyrinth. "How the bloody hell did she get here so soon?" he said, full of wonder. He watched her intently. Next to her stood his once servant, Hoggle. He listened to what they were saying.

"'Gain?" Hoggle asked. He asked her why he, Jareth, had taken Rowena. She replied that she thought she had either called the goblins or that he was using her as bait.

Jareth put the crystal away. He thought it would have taken her longer to figure out that the crystal shard would transport her here. Her guesses had both been right. Rowena had called the goblins and he was using her as bait to get to her mother.

_Damn_, he thought. _She was just too damn good._


	4. Give Me the Child

Chapter Three --- "Give me the child…"

Hoggle looked both ways down the labyrinth. You could go either way and reach the castle, but which way was the easiest to go? He looked left, remembering what was down that way. Nah, it was best to go right. He started down the long overgrown path, Sarah following slowly.

"This is the way I went last time," she remembered, cringing as she tripped over a log.

"Well, then, we know it'll get us to the castle for sure," he grunted. They continued a few more minutes in silence.

"Hoggle?" Sarah asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"What?"

"Where are Ludo and Sir Didymus?" she asked of her other friends.

"I thinks that Jareth separated us for a reason," he replied.

"He separated you? Why?" she cried.

"I dunno. 'E separated us and put me back to works at the front right after the party was over. 'E was very upset that we had defied 'im to help ye get to the castle. 'E tries to puts us in an oubliette. As ye sees, that didn't work too well. Didymus annoyed the hell out of the helping hands and they complained to Jareth. That's when 'e separated us.

"Wish I knew where the rascal is keeping them," he continued. "Didymus is probably somewhere where nothing can hear 'is complaints and threats and Ludo is probably somewhere away from rocks. I don't see why 'e put me back at the front. I mean, ye came back and I could help ye get to the center of the castle again," Hoggle explained.

"Maybe that was his plan," Sarah thought out loud.

"What'd ye mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe Jareth wanted me to come back, so he took my daughter as bait, put you back in the front to guide me back to him so that I could face him again," she reasoned.

"Very good," a familiar voice said. Sarah turned and gasped. A tall man emerged from the shadows, his black cape and wild blonde hair blowing in the slight breeze. His startling eyes, one brown one blue, drifted over the dwarf and onto the woman standing next to him.

"Jareth," Sarah spat.

"My dear Sarah! I must say this is quite a surprise to see you here. What is the honor of this joyful reunion?" Jareth smiled flirtatiously at her. She glared at him, not answering.

"Jareth, give me Rowena. Through…through dangers untold…and—"

"Sarah, don't make a spectacle of yourself. You can't remember your childish speech. It shan't help you anyways. The foolish girl wished herself away and there is nothing you can do about it," he chuckled.

"It's the speech I defeated you with!" she snapped. Anger flashed through out Jareth's mismatched eyes.

"Well, I thought I should inform you that your daughter is to become the Queen of the Goblins. I know how much you would like to be my queen!" he retorted.

"No!" she cried out in disgust. "She's only fifteen! I won't let you!"

"Just as you were fifteen when you fell in love with me," he replied coyly.

Sarah gasped. "That's not true!" she exclaimed. "If you weren't stuck inside your fantasies all the time, you would know that I do not love you!" He almost laughed but wisely held it down.

"Sarah, don't defy me."

"Or what?" she asked, slamming her hands on her hips.

"Or I'll tip you into the Bog of Eternal Stench," he threatened. He watched her shudder as she remembered the bog's horrendous smell. She thought for a moment before responding.

"No. I won't let you marry Rowena," Sarah persisted. Jareth laughed. "I'm serious, Jareth. I'll find Ro before you ever get the chance to marry her," she said shortly.

"You certainly are stubborn," he said seriously, although his eyes still mocked her. "All right. I shall give you thirteen hours if you wish. If you do not succeed, you shall be turned into a goblin and shall be your daughter's slave."

"And should I succeed?"

"You may both return home." She nodded in agreement to the deal. Jareth approached her and took her hand in his gloved one. He kissed her hand and added, "Good luck, my darling. I shall see you at my wedding." With that, he disappeared. Sarah kept her eyes on the spot where he had just been standing. She rubbed her hand unconsciously, feeling a tingling where Jareth's magic had combined with hers. She wondered if he had felt the connection. She would have stay away from him and avoid contact until she had complete control of her powers. _That shouldn't be too hard,_ she thought sarcastically.

"Come on, Sarah. We only gots thirteen hours to get to the castle," Hoggle said, bringing her out of her thoughts. She nodded and followed him. She wished she could transport them to the castle, but she didn't know if Jareth was watching her or not. She didn't want to risk it. She glanced up at the castle. It didn't seem that far away.

"It's farther than you think. Time is short." Jareth's words floated back to her. He had said that to her twenty years ago. She had thought him the evil villain. But when they had danced in the ballroom in the fantasy dream, she knew he wasn't as cruel as he made himself look. Could he love? Did he love her?

_How you turn my world, you precious thing_

_You starve and near exhaust me_

_Everything I've done, I've done for you_

_I move the stars for no one_

She grimaced and shook her head. That was what he thought was his good side, doing everything for her. She knew that he rarely showed it to anyone else. They had the unfortunate luck of encountering his dark and powerful side. The more Sarah thought about him, the more confused she became. She had a dreadful headache. She put a hand to her head, thought of the headache leaving her and instantly she felt better.

Hoggle led Sarah into a courtyard. There was a silver fountain and a fairy was spitting water from her tiny mouth. There were green hedges surrounding them. Purple and yellow flowers grew on the hedges. In the corner sat a wood bench and Sarah dragged herself over to it and sat down. She made herself comfortable and began to rub her aching feet. _I definitely should've worn sneakers,_ she thought. Her eyes glazed over as she watched the water in a trancelike state. Hoggle was trying to decide which path they should take.

The next thing Sarah knew, the bench flipped over with her on it. She gave a frightened scream and fell down into a dark abyss. She heard Hoggle shouting her name. Before she had the chance to use her magic, she hit the bottom and everything went black.

---------------------

"Sarah!" the dwarf cried. As he went to peer down the hole and find Sarah, the bench flipped back up. He pounded on it, trying to get it to open up.

"Dear Hoghead," a voice behind him said.

"'Oggle," he muttered, not bothering to turn around. He didn't want to see Jareth right now. Not when his friend was in trouble.

"I'm terribly sorry, Hoggle. But whatever are you doing to that bench?" he asked, rather amused.

"Where is she?" Hoggle shouted.

"Now, now Hoggle. No need to bellow. Where is who?" he pretended to be clueless.

"Sarah. Where is she, Jareth?"

"Now, why the concern? She's in something that I like to call an oubliette," he smirked.

"No! Let 'er out!"

"Oh, I will…after thirteen o'clock!" he laughed and faded away in a shower of glitter.

Hoggle sank down on the stone pavement in despair. He could only hope that Sarah was okay.

-------------------

In her chambers, Rowena examined every inch of the white colored room with pink trim. There was a white four-post bed with a pink bedspread, a white vanity and a white wardrobe filled with exquisite gowns. She sank in front of the vanity table. She examined herself in the mirror, wondering why Jareth wanted her. Her mother was the beauty in the family, not her.

Rowena had found the Labyrinth book in her mother's room the day after her father had died. In it was a girl who called on the goblins to take her baby brother away. The girl was given thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth and she succeeds. But in the process, the Goblin King falls madly in love with the girl. Rowena wondered how Sarah had gotten the book and if she realized she had it.

A knock on the door startled her. "Come in," she called, looking up. The door swung opened to reveal Jareth standing there. He had changed to tan breeches, black boots and a black open necked poet shirt that showed off his gold amulet. He approached her and kissed her cheek. A shiver ran down her spine, but Jareth didn't seem notice her shudder.

"My darling Rowena," he said.

"Please call me Ro," she said as she watched him in the vanity mirror. He nodded, glanced around her room and asked, "Do your chambers suit your taste?"

"They're perfect. Thank you."

He began to pace and hesitated before speaking. "We must have the wedding tonight at thirteen o'clock." She laughed. "What?" he asked confused.

"There's no such thing as thirteen o'clock!" He made a gesture to the clock on her wall. She glanced at it and stopped laughing. Sure enough, there were thirteen hours on it. "Oh."

"You are alright with that?"

"No, I most certainly am not!" He raised an eyebrow. "You said one week… or I mean how ever much time will pass here. You promised!"

"I did not promise. I simply made an agreement. Agreements are meant to be broken," he replied to her hysterics calmly. "Rumors have spread throughout the kingdom of your presence in the Underground. My people wish to meet you and they are demanding that we be wed tonight."

"I'm not sure about this. I barely know you yet I'm planning on marrying you," she said, tears filling her eyes. Jareth gazed upon her with pity. He could just let her go. No, he couldn't let them win. He needed Sarah to be able to live and he was determined to have her as his own. He had to keep on pretending and playing this little game.

"You will marry me at thirteen o'clock," he said coldly. He stormed out the door, leaving an open mouthed Ro behind him.


	5. This Is How a Heart Breaks

Chapter Four --- "…This Is How A Heart Breaks…"

Feeling slightly sick and dizzy, Sarah slowly opened her eyes. She couldn't see anything save the darkness that surrounded her. "I'm so sick of falling," she muttered sarcastically. Trying to observe her surroundings, she had an awful feeling that she was in an oubliette. She slowly crawled on her hands and knees, searching for a wall. Her hand brushed against something smooth and cold. It wasn't rock she had expected that it to be but metal. She stood up and brushed off her dress. A white glittery light shimmered in front of her and she backed up against the wall. The light disappeared only to be replaced with a soft orange fire. A leathered hand reached out to her and she held her breath.

"Sarah, I know you're there," a soft whisper came from the shadows.

"Go away Jareth," she whispered, turning away from the fire. Gloved hands placed themselves on her shoulders turning her back around to face him. She stared at his amulet as he watched her.

"Sarah, don't make this hard on yourself. Come with me," his breath whispered on her soft skin.

"No!" she cried, closing her eyes in pain. "You don't understand! You can never understand. You took away my brother and now my daughter. When does it stop?"

He paused, not knowing what to say. He had never really allowed anyone to enter his heart too deeply. "I do know Sarah. For I too have already lost someone and I am trying my hardest to bring her back to me," he said.

She slowly opened her eyes and blinked away tears. He brought his hand to her face and cupped her chin. He lifted her face up so he could look at her eyes. "Jareth, this can't happen. It's not allowed. Heroines can't love the villains."

"Do you really still believe that, Sarah? I had hoped you would have changed your mind," he said dryly, staring coldly at her.

"Jareth, I didn't mean that—"

"Oh but you did, my love. It's what you have lived by and believed your entire life. I think you'll find something that you've missed in the oubliette," he said softly.

"What?" she asked but not before he left her in a shower of glitter and darkness.

Sarah stood in silence, watching the wisps of smoke float to the top of the oubliette and disappear. She sighed and touched the cold wall she leaned against. She brushed her fingers along the wall, guiding herself to safety. Suddenly, she bumped into something large and hairy. She stumbled back, trying to make out what it was. She thought of a torch and one appeared in her hand. The thing she had bumped into moaned. She made out a large silhouette with dingy orange fur.

"Ludo?" she asked.

It moaned again before asking, "Ludo scared. Help Ludo please?"

"Oh Ludo," she sighed in relief. "It's me, Sarah."

"Sawah?" he asked.

"Yes Ludo."

"Ludo missed Sawah."

"I missed you too, Ludo." She reached her arms around the enormous beast and attempted to hug him. "Jareth put you here, didn't he?"

"Yes," he grunted.

"The walls are made of steel so you can't call the rocks. Then how do we get out of here?" she asked herself. She considered using her magic. Jareth could still be watching her though. She'd have to take the chance.

"Ludo, take my hand," she said. "I'm going to try and get us out of here." He took her hand, curious as to how she would get them out. He had already tried everything yet nothing had worked.

He watched in amazement as a blue bubble formed around the two. He glanced at Sarah, who had her eyes closed, her forehead creased in concentration. A blue flash blinded him and he whimpered. The light eventually resided and he could see again. They were floating high above a forest. They floated down to the ground and the bubble popped. Sarah rested gently on the dirty grass. Ludo went over and took her hand, pulling her up. She wiped the dirt from her cream colored dress.

"What Sawah do?" he asked suspiciously.

"I...uhh…kind have inherited some of Jareth's powers," she replied sheepishly. He nodded, not needing to know how it happened. He looked about, not recognizing anything about their location. Tall sinister trees blocked out all sunlight. Something eerie was going on.

"Ludo scawed," he whimpered.

"Take my hand," Sarah said. "We'll find our way out of here in no time." But which way to go? She didn't recognize this place either. She just hoped that they'd make it out alive.

----------------------------

Jareth sat in his throne room, tapping his finger on his thigh. Why couldn't she realize that he was laying his love for her right in front of her and still she turned away? What was he doing wrong? He was so certain that she was going to come with him, choose to be his queen. How else could he express his love for her? She was so difficult to please.

"_You asked that the child be taken, I took him. You cowered before me. I was frightened. I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside down and I have done it all for you! I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous enough?"_ Those dreadful words he had spat at her those years ago poured into his mind. He hadn't meant to say it that way but being the way he was, that was how it came out.

He had missed her so much that sometimes it was unbearable. He would travel Aboveground to see her. He had never missed any of her movie premiers. He acted as one of those men that seemed to follow her everywhere. Fans, he believed they were called. He would dress in ripped blue jeans, a black t-shirt, black boots and short spiky hair. He wore no makeup and dark sunglasses so she wouldn't recognize his mismatched eyes.

He had even attended her wedding on a beach in Nice, France. He wanted to object their marriage, stop it then and there. But upon seeing how beautiful and happy she was, he contained himself for her happiness. He left before the final vows and returned to the Underground to mope about. But it had been his good luck seven months ago, when her husband died in a plane crash. He wanted to consol her at the funeral, wanted to hold her, wipe the tears from her eyes. There he noticed Rowena for the first time. A plan had begun to formulate and he went back to the Underground to organize it.

He was overcome with emotions for her. One minute he'd hate her for defeating him, the next he wanted to hold her in his arms again. He knew she hated him for it showed every time he looked into her deep gray eyes. She had suffered so much. All he wanted to do was make it better for her. But she was right; he was the villain and he was to be defeated.

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair and realized that he might never have Sarah as his own.


	6. Through Dangers Untold

Chapter Five --- "Through Dangers Untold…" 

He sat on the ground, his head buried in his hands, waiting for some sign of her. "Oh Sarah," he sighed, standing up. He could only hope she would find her way out of the oubliette. He decided that it would be best if he continued on to the castle. If Sarah couldn't stop Jareth, maybe he could help Rowena escape.

Hoggle began walking, his thoughts on the innocent girl locked away in that dreadful castle. He wondered how he would get her out without Jareth noticing. If Jareth caught him, he would end up smelling like a certain bog for the rest of his life. He would this for Sarah.

--------------------

Rowena sat on her bed, puzzling over her thoughts. There was no way Jareth could force her to marry him. Was there? He was the Goblin King and he could probably do anything he wanted. She would not let him marry her by force. She had to find a way of here.

She stood up, opened the door and peered cautiously into the hallway. It was deserted. She tiptoed out of the doorway. Having no idea where she was going, she followed her gut. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps behind her. She spun around to find Jareth following her.

"Now, where are you going?" he asked, a smirk playing on his thin lips.

Ro took a deep breath and put on her best acting skills. "I was coming to find you," she said innocently.

"I thought you had been running away. I do believe I was wrong. What were you coming to find me for?" he said.

"I wanted to tell you that thirteen o'clock is a perfect time to get married." He examined her face for any sign of doubt. She forced herself to keep all her emotions off her face and out of her eyes.

"Very well. I want you dressed and ready for the dinner party at seven o'clock. After dinner, you shall have two hours to prepare for the wedding," he said and disappeared in a cloud of glitter. "Go back to you room," his voice echoed in the hall, bouncing off the walls. Ro nodded in understandment. _There was no way out of this,_ she realized.

---------------------

Glancing at the sinister trees, Sarah had no clue where she and Ludo were. This didn't look anything like the forest where she had encountered the fieries. She didn't know the way out and her body was spent from transporting them here in the first place. She didn't have enough energy or magic to transport them again. Ludo moaned besides her as the branches of one of the trees began to rustle. Sarah looked up, startled. She noticed a white barn owl watching her intently.

"Jareth," she whispered, her eyes growing wide in terror. She could feel her face burning. How had he found her here? Did he figure out her secret?

He continued to watch her with interest. She glared back into his large eyes, daring him to move. When he didn't do anything but stare, she ignored him and tried to decide which way to go. The owl flew overhead and hooted at her. He flew one way, nudged his head and flew back. He wanted her to follow him.

"No!" she shouted.

_Trust me,_ his voice echoed through her head. He flew back towards the path and beckoned with his head. She hesitated before turning to Ludo and said, "Let's go." The beast nodded and followed her.

----------------------

Watching her make up her mind almost killed him. He knew that she hadn't trusted him but he just wanted to prove that he was not as bad as she made him out to be. He was only going to lead her out of the forest and into a field on the other side. From there it would be easier but longer to get to the castle. Though it would take longer, he knew that Sarah would make it on time.

-------------------------

Ludo wondered why Sarah was following this strange owl. There was something familiar about the snow-white bird but he couldn't place it. He wanted to ask Sarah but he sensed that she was deep in thought. He didn't say anything but kept walking.

Soon a dim yellow light began to glow at the edge of the forest, illuminating the scary trees. Sarah pulled herself from her thoughts. She tugged at the hem of her dress, pulled it above her knees and began sprinting. Ludo followed, struggling to keep his pace matched with hers.

The next thing anyone knew, Sarah flew up into the air and flipped upside down. She screamed in surprise and struggled to keep her dress from exposing anything, especially from Jareth. Ludo grunted in surprise and glanced at the owl, waiting to see what it would do.

"Ludo! Help!" Sarah yelled. The owl, hearing her screams, landed. Ludo watched in horror as the owl transformed into Jareth, King of the Goblins.

"Bad," he grunted angrily. He reached towards Jareth, who quickly jumped out of the way. Sarah cried out again, wishing that they would hurry.

"Let's get Sarah down first and then you can strangle me." Ludo nodded. He noticed a rope tied around Sarah's ankle that was also tied to a tree root. He walked over and carefully untied the complicated knot. Sarah screamed again as she fell towards the ground, into Jareth's open arms.

She looked up and made the mistake of looking into his mismatched eyes. Fear and confusion were written across her face but his eyes expressed a slight desire. His arms wrapped tighter around her. He bent his head closer to her face but then hesitated. Her mind screamed out no but her body was numb. A small space was left between them. She tried to wiggle her way free but he closed the space. Slowly, she melted at his warm and gentle touch. She had never felt this way before about a simple kiss, even from her husband. A small tingle ran through her blood as his powerful magic mixed together with hers. The small tingle was enough to bring her back to her senses. She pulled her lips away and turned her head to Ludo, who had been attempting to stand back up and hadn't noticed anything.

"Are you alright, Ludo?" she asked, blushing furiously.

"Yeah," he grunted. He glared at Jareth in anger. What if Sarah hadn't come? He could have been in the oubliette forever. He shuddered at the thought. "Where's brother?"

"Brother?" Jareth asked, glancing at a rather flustered Sarah for an explanation.

"Sir Didymus," she said, watching Ludo, not daring to look back at the rouge.

Jareth carefully thought over telling them. He wished he could but the rules of the labyrinth forbid it. He could not break the rules and neither could they.

"I…I can't say. You must find him. I'm sorry," he said quietly. Ludo reached for the King's pale throat and Jareth slowly backed away. Sarah gasped and unconsciously tightened her grip around his neck.

"Ludo, please. Don't hurt him. He only means well. It's written in the rules and it's not his fault. Don't blame him." Jareth nodded, not at all surprised that she knew about the rules of the labyrinth. He realized that the prophecy was coming true.

"Sarah—," he began, setting her down on her slippered feet gently.

"Don't," she said, putting a slender finger to his lips. She adjusted her dress, then motioned to Ludo and said, "Let's get to the castle." They walked quickly away, leaving Jareth behind them. He watched her walk away to meet him his castle, his lips tingling from her touch.


	7. Let Me Go

Author's Note --- _I just wanted to make sure that this is clear, that I own nothing of Labyrinth or the songs that are posted in the song. All orginal characters I do own. I didn't put it on there last night, cause I was tired and forgot but the disclaimer's up so don't blame me for anything. _

Chapter Seven --- "…Let Me Go…"

Falling, she glanced around for something to hold on to. There was nothing. The world fell past her. Soon, she slowed from falling to floating. Thousands of bubbles surrounded her, glistening in the flashing lights from below.

She landed on the ground on her feet with a soft thud. She cautiously looked around. Bright lights flashed before her eyes. People cheered and clapped and whistled in the background. She turned around and saw her mother on the Red Carpet, wearing a sexy wine colored spaghetti strap dress. She waved to her fans as she heard their cheers. She noticed herself, standing slightly to the side.

Ro looked around and wondered if there was some way out of this dream. She slowly walked down the Red Carpet, her mother and herself following. They obviously couldn't see her and she felt braver by the second. She reached the doors into the large building and pulled one open. She stepped in and tripped over the large white gown she was suddenly wearing. Startled, she tumbled into a man with a dreadful bird mask on his face. He grinned seductively and pulled her close to him. He stroked her curled hair. She pushed him away and turned back towards the door. She gasped loudly. It had disappeared.

She glanced down at her dress. It was an enormous white chiffon skirt with many delicate ruffles. Around her waist was a buckled silk red belt. A ruffled collar with a ruby broach stood stiffly out away from her neck and there were large ruffled sleeves. Two red ribbons held her curly locks out of her face.

Slowly, she turned to examine her location. It was white with mirrors lined across the walls and ceilings; stairs leading to circular platforms and in the middle of the stairs were pillows and cushions of all shapes, sizes and colors. Huge chandeliers hung very low, almost brushing against the white marble floor. A song that she had heard many times on the radio played in the background, taunting her.

_One more kiss could be the best thing_

_One more lie could be the worst_

_And all these thoughts are never resting_

_And you're not something I deserve_

Ro grabbed the hem of her dress and floated up one of the staircases. She glided past people with costumes, wigs and exotic masks on in a trancelike state. They watched her, waiting to see what she would do. Bells rang in her head, warning to her to get out quickly. Her mind begged her to find a way out. She looked searched but found nothing. As she walked past an empty table she sat down and gave up. She lowered her face into her hands and moaned to herself.

_In my head there's only you now_

_This world falls on me_

_In this world there's real and make believe_

_This seems real to me_

A light tap on her shoulder caused her to glance up. She looked straight into Jareth's mismatched eyes. He offered her a gloved hand. She stared at it and hesitantly accepted. He led her to an empty space on the white marble floor and into a waltz.

_You love me but you don't know who I am_

_I'm torn between this life I lead _

_And where I stand_

_You love me but you don't know who I am_

_So let me go_

_Let me go_

Ro caught the glances the strange people were giving her. Surely it was not uncommon for a girl to dance with the king. _He must have many admirers,_ she thought. But they kept staring. She wished they would stop. She felt rather uncomfortable around these women who flirted constantly and the men who looked for nothing but love. The urge to run and escape finally caught up with her fully.

Pushing Jareth away, she stumbled as she began to run. He reached out to catch her but missed._ Why does this always happen to me,_ he thought sarcastically. She ran back up the stairs, fighting her way to the top platform.

_You love me but you don't_

_You love me but you don't_

_You love me but you don't know who I am_

There, people crowded her in. They circled her like vultures, laughing and squealing. One man reached out and caressed her arm. She slapped his unwanted hand away. The group laughed at her reaction. More hands came and stroked her body. She slapped them away but had no success.

_You love me but you don't_

_You love me but you don't _

_You love me but you don't know me_

Ro punched the first man her fist found contact with. She ran and didn't dare look back. She glanced at her hand and noticed the blood on it. She wiped it on her white gown, leaving a large red streak. She hurried down the stairs, pausing in front of Jareth. He looked rather amused at her blood stained fist and gown. She could hear the song still taunting her. She listened carefully to the lyrics for the first time and it hit her. Jareth didn't love her; he loved the girl in the book.

"Jareth, get me out of here!" she cried angrily.

"That's impossible, my dear," he replied, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Why?" she shrieked.

"Because it's your dream," he said. Furious with his calm reply, she tried pinching herself to wake up but was unsuccessful.

"Jareth, you…you," she stumbled over her words. There were so many things that she could call him right now but right now, no, she'd call him whatever the hell she'd want to call him. "You son of a bitch! Wake me up!"

"I can't," he said truthfully. It all happened in slow motion but Ro raised her hand to slap him and succeeded. Shocked, he raised his hand to his burning cheek and felt the sting of her handprint. He waved his hand and sent a glowing silver ball at her chest. The ballroom slowly faded to nothing but a blurry memory as she fell into another dream.

-------------------------------

Perplexed, Sarah stormed through a wheat field that seemed to go on forever. No, she wasn't mad, she was delirious. How could he have the nerve to kiss her? What had made him do that? Why was he such a wonderful kisser? She had promised herself that she would stay away from him until she had complete control of her powers. Though she had to admit, she hadn't expected to fall into the Goblin King's arms.

While he had held her, she felt her body absorbing some of his energy, combining it with her own. She could feel his emotions and read his mind. His startling thoughts had echoed through her head. She heard him call her beautiful and try to convince himself about the rules of the labyrinth. She had his feelings mixed together with hers. When he leaned forward to kiss her, she had tried to move but the magic between their bodies kept them together. It was like the magic had wanted to keep them together but she had overcome the bond and pulled away.

As she slashed her way through the tall stalks, she wondered if he had felt the powers combining. If he had felt it, wouldn't he have said something or at least thought something? Maybe Sarah had been taking power from him because he had so much generating within his body. Did that mean she could become as powerful as Jareth or would she take all of his powers? Could she become the Queen of the Goblins without Jareth? She quickly pushed the thought from her mind. Her desire to become the Goblin Queen had passed years ago. This had all started when she had wished away one unlucky baby.

--------------------------------

A single crow crouched down behind the wheat stalks, listening to the young woman's thoughts. _Jareth is one sly dog if he can get this woman to think these devilish thoughts about him._ _Well, dear Jareth, I shall capture the woman you seek. She shall become my queen. I will have my revenge. You shall become my mortal slave and the perfect child that we know shall die. I shall rule the Underground and Aboveground and combine them into one,_ the crow swore before hopping after Sarah.


	8. And Hardships Unnumbered

Chapter Eight --- "…And Hardships Unnumbered…"

In his chambers, Jareth turned his attention to the nervous goblin holding his clothes for the dinner party. It was only five o'clock. He still had two hours before he had to go downstairs and introduce his dinner guests to Ro and eight hours before Sarah's time was up.

The goblin laid out a handsome silver cloak, black breeches and a white ruffled poet shirt. Jareth nodded his head in approval and waved the goblin away. It scurried away, happy to be gone from the stoic King's sight. Jareth strolled out onto his balcony and leaned on the railing lazily. He waved his hand in a small circle and a crystal appeared delicately in his palm. "Show me Ro," he said and immediately her face emerged. She was sleeping peacefully on her bed, dreaming, the ballroom scene forgotten.

Jareth shifted the crystal and said, "Show me Hoggle and Jaqualine." They were talking about Sarah. Hoggle was retelling the story of the girl who defeated the powerful Goblin King. Jaqualine looked fascinated with the story. She had not yet been born when Sarah was last Underground. The teenager had only heard the sketchy memories from the goblins.

Jareth altered the crystal and said, "Show me Sarah." She sprung into view. He noticed several scratches on her pretty face. He made a quick motion with his hand and they disappeared. Sarah put her hand up to her face as if she had felt something. Her eyes glazed over and she continued to walk. Ludo walked ahead of her, clearing a small path.

As Jareth watched Sarah, he noticed a black crow hopping after her. He laughed. That was something unusual. He studied the crow and it hit him like a ton of bricks. The crystal zoomed in on the crow. Sure enough, there was a small white spot with a black glowing mark on its stomach. The mark was of a sun with a rose in the middle. Jareth had one too on his hip save his was silver. It was his father, King Phoebus of Daystar and his mother's, Queen Rose of Burgeon, crest. The crow was his brother, James, King of the Knaves.

Jareth dropped the crystal and it shattered into a million pieces as he quickly transformed into an owl and flew as fast as he could towards the wheat fields.

----------------------------

"And then she says, 'I must face him alone.' Didymus asks why. She explains that that's the way it's done. I says, 'Should you need us?' and she says she'll call and runs up the stairs. That was the last we had seen of her until she called us back in her bedroom. No one knows what happened behind those walls to this day," Hoggle concluded. The images of Hoggle and Sarah's previous journey played through her mind. She could see why Jareth loved Sarah. The young mother was beautiful and had a charm around her that attracted people to her.

Jaqualine sighed. She had never known her own mother. She had been abandoned as a babe. Jareth had discovered her outside his castle on the steps. He had taken her in as his own, raised her until the day he discovered that she was a Salizkan. Jareth sent her to live with a Salizkan sorcerer, Master Brujo, to teach her about her unique powers.

On her twentieth birthday almost a year ago, Jaqualine had a vision. She had seen a vivid image of a woman running through the labyrinth. That was all she had been able to see for something had blocked her powers from being able to see anything else. The next day, Jareth sent for her at his castle. She traveled by foot, following the winding Zinnia River towards the Goblin City for three days. She approached the gates of the greatly feared labyrinth. The gates swung open and a smoky fog billowed out. Jareth emerged and greeted her kindly as a brother would.

After their greetings had been exchanged, he explained was she was there. He needed someone to play a role in the labyrinth as a fear taker. He had thought that Jaqualine would be suitable for the job. She could also practice her magic and continue her studies in her new home. He had led her to a simple hut built deep in the wall of the labyrinth. She walked in and examined her new home. It was simple but met her standards. A wall was covered with books, a blazing fireplace, a simple kitchen, and a comfortable bedroom with a plain maple bed with brown covers. She immediately loved where she was to live.

Jareth often visited in the following year, bringing with him food and books to keep her going with her studies. One day, about five months later after one of his infamous visits, she noticed a small red book sitting on her chair. It was a leather cover with the title, Labyrinth engraved in gold. Intrigued, she picked up the book and began to read. She was fascinated with the book of the Goblin King, a dreaming teenage girl and her baby brother. She knew that the Goblin King was Jareth but who was the girl and her brother? As she continued to read, she made the connection. The girl was the woman she had seen running in her vision. Who was she? Was she going to return? Did Jareth still love her?

_Jaqualine had finished the book late that night. As she closed the book, a sudden knock on her door frightened her and she dropped the book. She hurried to the door and flung it open. Jareth had been standing there in her doorway, just out of the pouring rain. She stepped aside and allowed him in._

_"What are you doing here so soon?" she had asked playfully._

_"Making sure that you are quite alright. The weather is rather dreadful," he had replied, eyeing the book on her floor. He reached for it and flipped through. "I didn't realize I had left this here," he mumbled._

_"Jareth, who is she?" Jaqualine had asked, handing him a cup of tea that she had magiked into her hand. He glanced up in surprise and accepted the mug gratefully._

_"You read it?" She nodded her head. "Her name was…is Sarah."_

_"Why did you let her win?"_

_"Because it was meant to be."_

_"What do you mean? You can't predict that," she had said, confused._

_"No, I can't. My brother did," he had replied calmly, sitting down on a green chair._

_"Your brother?" she choked. He nodded._

_"I have two brothers. We are a set of triplets. I'm the middle child. My older brother Jeremy is the King of the Pacifists and James is the youngest and the King of Knaves. Jeremy was always the good child, bringing peace and practicing good magic. James on the other hand, was an extremely self-centered child, practicing black magic, and getting in trouble. Mother and Father never knew what to do with him. Nothing worked._

_"Since I was born in the middle, I was influenced by both good and bad. As you read in the book, I was arrogant and still am," he chuckled then and continued, "It was terrible of me to take Toby, yet I was also loving because I let Sarah win," he explained._

_"But how did she know to call on the goblins?"_

_"Jeremy has powers to see the future, to bring peace and he monitors both Aboveground and Underground. A very long time ago, he saw a teenage girl running through my labyrinth just as you did. He watched as she successfully completed my difficult labyrinth. He watched in terror as she tumbled into the Helping Hands Shaft, became trapped in an oubliette, ate my drugged peach, fought a goblin robot, encountered the Escher room and finally faced me. He realized that I would fall for this mere mortal girl and my love would become unbreakable, even if it didn't seem like it. He also realized that this girl would be his stepdaughter, the daughter of his future wife, Linda Williams. He came up with a plan. He wrote a story similar to hers in the form of a book and gave it to her mother once they finally met. Linda in turn sent it to Sarah as if she had picked it up in a bookstore. Sure enough, she said the words and came to face me."_

_Jaqualine digested that information but still had one more question. "So Jeremy also married a mortal?"_

_"Linda is now Queen of the Pacifists but she is also an actress Aboveground. She goes to Underground every once in awhile with Jeremy to report to the kingdom but she usually resides Aboveground in New York City. She had a hard time believing that her co-star was a king, but when he showed her Underground, she realized that the book she had given Sarah was indeed true," he had explained._

_"Does Sarah know this?" Jaqualine had to ask._

_"As of now, no."_

Jaqualine realized that Sarah must love Jareth too, even if she didn't know it. Jaqualine had been determined to help Jareth in whatever way she could. Now, here she was hurrying through the labyrinth she called home with a dwarf and she realized that this why Jareth had called her here.

----------------------------

Stumbling through the field, Sarah paused to catch her breath. She wished she had a watch to see what time it was but she had forgotten hers at her home. Cold metal immediately touched her skin and she gasped. She gazed in awe at her wrist. There wrapped around her skin, was a handsome silver watch marked with thirteen little diamonds for the hours. It was quarter of six. Seven hours and fifteen minutes left. She sighed and continued trudging on.

She glanced past Ludo's hairy body at the castle. She should be there in time for the wedding. She must prevent it. _It should be you instead,_ a bone chilling voice said in the back of her head. _No_, her mind shouted. _I can't love Jareth. It's impossible._ The voice left her alone this time. She smirked slightly in satisfaction.

Sarah drowned out her thoughts and closed her eyes, concentrating on the sounds around her. The stalks of wheat rustling in the breeze, the sound of dirt crunching beneath her slippered feet, the pattern of her footsteps and Ludo's and someone else's footsteps following them.

Her eyes flew open and she whirled around. Nothing was there but she could sense its presence nearby. She slowly turned back and walked quietly. The footsteps continued. She whipped back around and cried out. Ludo turned around and opened his mouth but Sarah hushed him.

"What the hell?" she wondered out loud. A little black crow stood staring at her. Her eyes fell on the pools of black within his amber eyes.

_You are mine, Sarah Williams-Callaghan. I would advise against you struggling or else_, a heavily Scottish accented voice floated through out her mind. She nodded her head, terrified. Her eyes grew wide as the crow began to morph into a human. Before her stood a tall muscular man. He could have been Jareth's twin save for his short spiky blonde hair and piercing amber eyes. The skin was the same pale color and the amused smile dancing about thin lips were the same. He was wearing a black glittering cape; a black poet shirt, black breeches and black knee-high boots. He muttered a few words and she saw black light coming towards her and Ludo. Pain spread through her body like wildfire. Ludo grunted in surprise and disappeared. She moaned and collapsed on the ground as the pain burned throughout her body.

"Sarah, Sarah," the man chuckled, the pain immediately dulling slightly.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Who, me? I am James, King of the Knaves of the Bane Kingdom or as most like to call it, the Kingdom of Chaos," he announced with a flourish of his arms, bowing.

"What do you want of me?" she asked.

"What I want of you is you," he laughed. "I want you as my queen and if you disagree, I can do anything bad that I want. I am the King of Chaos!" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her off the ground and close to him. He stroked her cheek as she struggled to free herself. He sent a jolt of shock through her wrist and it spread through her body. She groaned and fell against him.

As frightened as she was, Sarah gathered any energy she had left. She would try to get rid of him, even if her powers were not at their fullest. She concentrated on her gathered energy, pulled away from him and sent it at him as a blue energy ball. He put up a force field around himself and the energy ball disintegrated before her eyes.

James gathered her close to him again and pressed both her arms behind her back. "So you are not all that mortal?" he breathed in her ear. His gloved fingers traced down her jaw, neck and collarbone until he discovered the mark of a lily on her chest. He felt its magic and he laughed. "It's a crystal shard, part of Jareth's fantasy bubbles. Did he give it to you as a gift as a lover? That's what he usually he does, you know!"

"No!" she snapped angrily, refusing to say anymore to this strange man who could talk so freely about Jareth in front of her.

"Feisty! Very good," he exclaimed. "I rather like a feisty woman. You'll do."

"I've seen you before, " she realized. "You're at every single one of my premiers. You always wear tattered jeans, a t-shirt, sunglasses and boots."

"Oh no my dear, that wasn't me. That was Jareth." She squirmed at the sound of the name, trying to release herself from his grip. "Now, that won't do though. We'll have to put you somewhere where Jareth cannot find you," he muttered.

"How do you know Jareth?" she asked ferociously, stopping her squirming.

"Ha! Have you no idea? Jareth mentioned not about his family?" he asked, obviously disgusted and surprised at the same time.

"I've only met him once before!" she protested.

"Oh, but he loves you so. I am Jareth's brother, the last of the triplets," he explained coldly.

"Th…there's three of you?" she stammered.

"Shamefully, yes. Jeremy, Jareth and James, the triplets of King Phoebus of Daystar and Queen Rose of Burgeon," he sneered. Sarah noticed a white blur behind his ear. She looked up painfully. She could feel Jareth's presence approaching quickly. James must have felt it too for he turned and notice the owl.

"Jareth. Oh good. Now the party can begin," he spat. He turned back to Sarah. He flicked his wrists and rope slithered around her wrists, tying them to her ankles. A piece of cloth was suddenly in her mouth and she choked. She felt sick. "Just so you don't use your magic. This rope can resist any kind of magic, even Jareth's," he warned. "Here comes the fun part," he added as Jareth flew towards them as fast as he possibly could.

_Jareth,_ Sarah thought, trying to warn him. _Jareth go back. James will kill you._ In the air, the owl was surprised by the woman's voice echo throughout his head. So, she had learned to send thoughts, had she? He could see her bound and gagged on the ground next to his brother. _No_, he thought back. _I have to save you._ He blocked his next thought so that she couldn't hear it; y_ou're the only one I've ever loved._

James felt Jareth drawing closer. He was almost within reach. A few more seconds. 5…4…3…2…1… James spun around and black lights shot out of his palms. They hit Jareth and he glowed black before they absorbed into his body. His attack stumbled and he tried to regain his composure. He began driving back down steeply at James. Another shower of black electric bolts flew at him. Jareth dogged them rather well but a rather large bolt hit him and he began to flutter towards the ground.

"No!" Sarah tried to cry through her gag. She watched as Jareth landed on the ground and lay like a rag doll. She cried out again as James towered over the fallen owl, glared at him. He raised his hands and shocked the snow-white owl again. It shuddered and lifted its head, resisting. The owl raised his head and gazed at the bound woman. His mismatched eyes made contact with Sarah's frightened gray eyes. They locked; Sarah had difficulty looking away. An unusual feeling entered her, flooding her heart. Images of the ball entered her mind and she was reminded of her fascination with him and how it had never ended. And it was then that she realized just how much Jareth meant to her. James advanced towards the owl and kicked him. The owl fell back on the ground, unable to move.

The owl disappeared in a shower of glitter. After it cleared, Jareth lay in the owl's place. Bruises and marks covered his body. James gazed coldly at Jareth and scolded him.

"Dear brother," he chided. "You should have known that I would return. I will rightfully claim what belongs to me, things you never deserved. The Goblin City, your castle, your title…your lover." He indicated towards the bound and gagged Sarah.

"No," Jareth whispered. He tilted his head to catch another glimpse of her and winced in agony. She sat on her knees, her wrists tied to her ankles and a piece of cloth was shoved in her mouth. Her gray eyes filled with tears and she was gasping for breath through her nose.

"James," Jareth choked. "Let her go! I'll do anything!"

"No can do, brother. She now belongs to me. I'll have lots of fun with her for you, don't worry about that," James chuckled. Sarah whimpered slightly through the gag.

Jareth looked at her again and tried again, "James, please…"

"Your wishes are nothing to me. This is the way the prophecy goes and it must be fulfilled," James chuckled. "Terrible for you. I know the perfect place to put you so you cannot bother me and my soon to be wife." James snapped his fingers and the two brothers disappeared.

Appearing in an older building, Jareth lay sprawled out on the dusty wood floor. His insides churned and he felt sick to his stomach. A white flash of pain shot through his body. He glanced at James, who was floating in a blackish tinged bubble and was watching his brother intently.

"Where are we?" he choked.

"Why?" James chuckled. "We're in an abandoned church, where you will remain for the rest of your limit, may I add, hours. Your powers will slowly diminish as you become mortal. Once you're a mortal, there's no going back to being a Fae!" he cackled. He snapped his fingers again and disappeared. Chains crawled around Jareth's writs and ankles. He moaned as the cold metal pressed into his bruises and as the power of the holy ground began to suck his energy and powers.

Back Underground, James reappeared in front of Sarah. She looked up, startled and snarled through her gag. He stared into her gray eyes and at her tear streaked face. He walked closer and she snarled again. He laughed loudly and lifted her carelessly.

"Now, we go home," he said and they disappeared in a black flash.

-------------------------------

"Ugh…." She opened her eyes slowly and hoisted herself up on her elbows. She realized that she was dressed in a white silk nightgown. She felt well rested but her head was pounding all the same. She thought of the unusual dream she had been having. Surely it had just been a dream but it had felt so real. She felt as though her father had been standing right in front of her, talking to her and laughing. She could even smell his aftershave. She had missed him so much and in her dream, she had talked to him again, told him everything and he had understood.

She struggled out of the pink satin covers, swung out of bed and quietly tiptoed towards her wardrobe closet. She glanced at the clock in passing and saw that it was five thirty. Ro was trying to decide what to wear to dinner when a sudden knock on the door caused her to button it back up.

She cautiously opened the white wood door and saw a female goblin standing there. She had shoulder length black ratty hair and very large blue eyes that stood out against her brown skin. She curtsied and announced, "Milady."

"Yes?" Ro asked.

"I'm here to assist you in getting ready for dinner," she explained shyly.

"Oh, come in," Ro invited and moved aside to let her in. She went to the wardrobe closet rummaged through it. She pulled out a medieval gown that red skirt with a slit in the front that exposed a white skirt underneath. Long white sleeves ended at the knees. Gold ribbon was tightly wrapped around the upper arms. The white top underneath formed a slight u-shape and was stopped by an embroidered bodice that laced up the front. Ro gaped at its simple beauty and the goblin noticed.

"My lady, you have to get undressed to put the gown on," she pointed out before sticking her head into the wardrobe again. Ro nodded, dumbfounded and unbuttoned her nightgown, clutching it tightly to her body. The goblin looked at her and laid down what she was holding. She motioned for Ro to take off the nightgown. Her face reddened as she removed the nightgown. The goblin stuck her head in the closet and pulled out a small ruby pendent and ruby and diamond chandelier earrings. The goblin motioned for her to take off her bra.

"May I have a robe?" she asked, slightly flustered.

"You'll have to take it off again to put on your gown," the goblin replied. Ro sighed to herself and unhooked the bra but held it on.

"Do you have a name?" she asked the girl.

"Me?" she looked up in surprise. Ro nodded. "My name's Clothilda," she blushed and curtsied again.

"Pleased to meet you," Ro grunted, shrugging out of her bra. Clothilda threw a chemise over her head. She handed Ro a stiff petticoat and a silk petticoat. Ro grudgingly accepted them and put them on. Clothilda took the dress and handed it to Ro. She took it and put it over her head. Once on, she buttoned up the white pearl buttons in the back. She wrapped Ro into the corset bodice and tightened it. Ro gasped for breath every time she pulled the strings tightly.

"Sorry, Miss, but you don't want to be fallin' out of your dress, do you?"

"I suppose not," Ro replied, rubbing her ribs. She was offered shoes next. Holding on to her bedpost, she carefully slipped her feet into the small red slippers. She adjusted the dress around her so that it was comfortable. Clothilda pushed Ro's long chocolate hair aside as she clasped the small ruby pendent around her neck. She let Ro put the earrings in as she heated a curling iron with coals from the fire.

An hour later, Rowena approached a full-length mirror. She gazed in awe over her beautiful dress, sparkling jewelry and her curled hair that was piled on top of her head, pinned with ruby clips. Clothilda smiled behind Ro, pleased with her finished work. They had talked the whole hour and both learned much about each other's lives.

Ro glanced at the goblin in her mirror and asked, "Now how do I get to dinner?"

"I'll go get the king for you."

"Thank you Clothilda," she said, watching the goblin scurry out the door.

Ro billowed out her gown before sitting down in a squishy pink chair. She soon became lost in her thoughts until a sudden knock on the door jarred her from her thoughts fifteen minutes later.

"Come in," she called. The door flung open and there stood a distressed Clothilda.

"Milady!" she cried. "The king is nowhere to be found!"

"Sit here and calm down. Tell me what is going on," Ro demanded. The goblin clambered into one of the lounge chairs and stifled her sobs.

"He's gone! The only thing left was a broken crystal on his balcony!" the girl managed before she began to sob again.

"He must have been attacked and kidnapped or something," Ro guessed. This only made the goblin cry harder. "Shhh…" Ro hushed, awkwardly. "No need to fear." She thought for a minute and then asked, "Is there anyway that we can find Jareth?"

"The crystals," she sobbed.

"What of them?" Ro asked.

"Come," the goblin grabbed her hand and pulled Rowena after her. They took a right, then a left, another left, a right, a left and finally a left through the castle before reaching their destination. Ro pushed open the door that the goblin nodded towards. The girls stepped into the dim room. Clothilda lit a candle and the whole room came to life. On every shelf every wall were crystals.

One much larger crystal was centered in the middle of the room. It glowed misty silver. The power radiating from this one crystal was enough energy for the whole Underground. Clothilda quietly approached the crystal. Ro followed suit. The girls gazed into the crystal watching the white energy swirl around inside.

"What do we do?" Ro asked.

"I don't know what King Jareth does, but he can see where people are," she whispered.

"Well, we could try to say his name," Ro suggested. She leaned forward and said, "Jareth." Nothing happened. "Okay…umm…Abracadabra." Still nothing happened. "Where in the world is Jareth?" Nothing. "Jareth, appear." Nothing. "Damn," she muttered, frustrated. "Jareth, King of the Goblins…Crystal, crystal in front of me, show me Jareth wherever he may be…Something has to work…Dearest crystal, where is Jareth? Arrggg!" she cried out. "Show me Jareth, dammit!"

Inside the crystal, the white energy disappeared and was slowly replaced by an image. Ro and Clothilda glanced at each other, then at the crystal. It was a dark room with only slivers of light from the ceiling. A chair decorated with gold sat, slightly melted behind a pile of ashes. A statue of the crucified Jesus Christ barely hung crookedly on the wall above the chair. Ro realized what they were looking upon. "He's in a church!" she breathed.

"No, no, no, no," the goblin whimpered.

"What's wrong?" Ro asked, worriedly.

"He cannot go on holy grounds. It will slowly kill his powers away and he shall become mortal," she explained.

"What will happen once he becomes mortal?" Ro asked, terrified.

"He can never go back to being a Fae. He'll be stuck like that until he dies which will be soon."

"Why soon?"

"He will be weakened by the powers of the church. He won't be able to survive in mortal life. He won't live very long," Clothilda explained. "Look, there he is." Sure enough, there lay Jareth chained to the floor, struggling to free himself. His body was covered in blood and cuts and bruises.

"Hurry, go and tell the dinner guests to enjoy themselves but that their hosts will not be joining them," Ro said.

"What if they question as to why not?" Clothilda asked.

"Tell them Jareth and I had an urgent message from ummm…a village that is under attack by some ogres. We have to go and settle some business. Meet me back in my chambers," Ro thought up quickly. Clothilda nodded and sprinted out the door. Ro searched around the room and found a brown sack thrown carelessly in a corner. She picked it up and reached for the closet three crystals. The room filled with the twinkling sound of bells and a sudden warm breeze pushed her hand from them.

"What the…" Ro began. Startled at the sound of bells, she reached to pick them up and the breeze pushed her hand away roughly. "Umm…excuse me but I need these crystals." _Was the breeze shaking its head at her?_ "I…. uh…I know that they're Jareth's crystals but I…uh…I sorta need them." There was a tense feeling in the air. "Listen, I need them to save Jareth!" The bells stopped and a sudden silence filled the room. The breeze had left her to take the crystals. She sighed in relief and reached up to slowly place the crystals in the sack. She held the last one in her hand and gazed upon it.

"I don't even know how these work," she said to herself. She turned it around and around in her hand. "I wonder if crystals can transport me to the church." As she talked, she spotted an enormous black book on a podium laying open. She walked over to it and ran her fingers over the old yellow pages. The book was open to a table of contents. She read it over quickly; delighted to find that it was indeed a book of spells and history throughout the Underground.

The melody of bells filled the air again and the breeze returned. The pages of the book flipped before her eyes. She felt the breeze kindly slide past her cheek and its desire for her to read it. She did so and began, "Crystals are not a hard concept to understand. If you do not have any magic running through your veins, that is perfectly fine. You must have a crystal within your possession to be able to use one. You will not be able to produce one out of thin air or have an unlimited amount. When you run out of crystals you will no longer be in control of them, unless you repeat the spell on more crystals. Turn to Chapter Twenty-Four: Spells For Everyday Use For Those Without Magical Abilities, Section Four: Crystals…" The breeze knocked Ro's hand out of the way and quickly turned the pages for her.

"Thank you," Ro said. She continued on hurriedly. "The spell involves a few words said. The spell that you must recite is _Yartcsl Yartcsl lehp em_." The sack that Ro still held in her hand began to glow through the small holes in the burlap. The light faded and she realized that she now had power of the crystals she had in her bag.

Ro left the room and heard the sweet sound of bells following her. When they arrived at her chambers, Ro let herself and the breeze in. The breeze and its bells went to the corner, where they chimed very quietly. The breeze too had seen Jareth trapped in the crystal. It was very willing to help for Jareth was an old friend and it had grown up with his father.

Ro put the sack gently down on the bed and began to pace. Her left hand held her delicate skirt high above her ankles, showing off her slippers, her right hand tapping her nose, deep in concentration. The chamber door swung open violently five minutes later and Clothilda fell into the room. She was breathing heavily, completely out of breath. Ro stopped her pacing and turned to face her.

"I told them…they're not thrilled…but they said…that business…is business," she gasped.

"Fantastic." She hesitated before continuing, "I also need to ask of you an enormous favor."

"Yes? I'll do anything to help save Jareth," Clothilda's rough brown face turned up towards Ro's.

"You know that we must go Aboveground to find Jareth, right?" Clothilda nodded. "Well, you see, most humans have never seen a goblin before in their lives. They will not believe me when I tell them and I do not wish to explain all about the Underground. They will not understand," Ro said, carefully choosing her words.

"You wish for me to turn into a human?" Clothilda guessed.

"I'm sure I can find a semi-permanent spell that will keep you a human for a short time-"

"I have some magical powers. I am a trueborn goblin, not a child that Jareth has stolen and changed. Children that become goblins are usually very stupid. Goblin children inherit a few small powers but they are fortunate to have any at all. My powers will be of assistance for the spell," Clothilda said.

"That will do. Do you—"

"Mind? Of course not. I'm sure that if it is a semi-permanent spell, no harm shall be done," she said positively.

"Thank you. You're not mad?" Ro asked.

"I'm not mad. It will help us in our quest to save Jareth. I understand your reasons for asking me to do such a thing. I might even be better off," she reasoned.

"Thank you, thank you," Ro said gratefully. "Would you like to help me find a spell?" she asked of Clothilda.

"Of course." She jumped as the bells of the breeze rang in her ear. "Beau!" she cried. "You scared me!" They watched as a book floated over to the bed and laid it self down. It flipped open and the pages turned. They stopped turning and settled on either side of the cover. Ro gazed at the pages and realized that the words were in another language. She tried to read it aloud but her tongue twisted itself up into knots over the difficult words.

"Would you like help with that, milady?" Clothilda asked.

"I don't understand it. It's in an odd language," Ro admitted slowly.

"_Vdwmldtz, J fywg wp qlzm lzwryrt mw Hzqrml_," an airy breath said.

"What?" Ro asked, hearing the voice within the melody of the bells and chimes.

"He says that he knows about what happened to Jareth," Clothilda translated.

"What language is that? How do you know it?" Ro asked.

"Hold on," she laughed. "It's Breezianese. It was one of the many languages I have learned by living in such a unique kingdom. I've known Beau since I was born. He was my nanny at one point." The breeze's chimes chided her. "He hates it when I call him that. He can help us find Jareth."

"He doesn't speak English?" Ro asked.

"He can't speak it but he understands every word you're saying," Clothilda said. "Now let me see that book." Beau picked up the heavy book and held it to her level. "Thanks Beau. Okay, 'Transformations can only occur when the creature is holding a part of a human body. The creature will then transform and look like the human that was used during the transformation. The transformed creature will remain human until the pattern of the sun, earth and moon line accordingly in the sky. If the pattern happens to be sun, moon, earth, the transformation will remain permanent,'" Clothilda quoted.

"So if it's a solar eclipse, then you'll change back into a goblin. But if it's a lunar eclipse, then you'll stay human," Ro said slowly. She turned her gaze to meet Clothilda's. They stared at each other for a moment in utter silence.

"I am all right with this, milady—"

"Please call me Ro," she cut her off.

"Right…Ro. I do not mind if I remain a human or not. Just as long as we can find Jareth," Clothilda said softly.

"Here's the spell," Clothilda pointed to it on the page. Ro glanced at it. "We both have to say it. It'll complete the transformation if we both say it." She reached for Ro's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Here we go."

"_Hiswy msin amuha ebot_!" the girls said together. A white flash blinded Ro and when she could see again, she could see the transformation beginning.


	9. Highway To Hell

Author's Note --- _Once again, I do not own any song/lyrics/characters but I do own the plot and original characters. _

Chapter Nine --- "…Highway To Hell…"

"Oh my goodness! What is it?" Jaqualine cried as she gasped for breath.

"The Bog of Eternal Stench. Don't step in it though. Ye put one toe in this stuff and ye'll smell forever," Hoggle said. He and the Salizkan had arrived at the Bog and were slowly making their way around. Jaqualine had one hand clutching her nose to avoid the terrible smell. Her first sniff of the overwhelming bog had made her gag. Now she knew why Jareth's infamous 'Don't defy me or I'll toss you in the bog' speech scared the living daylights out of his kingdom. The castle wasn't all that far away now. She could see it over the treetops.

"Halt! Who goes there?" a high-pitched voice called out.

"It's me, Hoggle," he said gruffly, stepping forward. The silhouette stepped forward and Jaqualine almost laughed out loud. Out stepped a little fox wearing a velvet red and gold jacket, black leather gloves, a blue velvet hat with a large yellow feather hanging off and he was holding a brown staff with a gold knob on the top. He was quite adorable and looked rather like a stuffed animal instead of a terrier.

"Sir Hoggle? How art thou? Ambrosius, come out! We have company. It is so nice to see thee again!" he exclaimed in one long breath. He noticed the young woman standing next to Hoggle. She had curly dark purple hair and enchanting silver eyes.

"Sir Didymus meet Jaqualine," Hoggle said.

"My lady," Sir Didymus said and bowed deeply.

Jaqualine couldn't suppress the grin that was spread across her face. She curtsied and said, "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

Hoggle interrupted and asked, "Didymus, have ye seen Sarah?"

"Lady Sarah? She is back?" Didymus questioned.

"Yes. She's on a quest to find her daughter, Rowena," Jaqualine put in.

"Why ever would Lady Rowena be here? Would she not be Aboveground where Lady Sarah lives?" he asked.

"'Is royal pain in the—" Jaqualine poked him non-to-gently and he rephrased his sentence. "'Is Majesty took 'er away."

"King Jareth? Why would he do that?"

"The same reason 'e brought Sarah 'ere before! Because Jareth loves Sarah!" Hoggle spat.

"Oh," a sheepish Didymus replied. He thought for a moment before asking, "But the King is not the bad person in this plot?"

"He is and isn't," Jaqualine said.

"How so, good lady?"

"Jareth loves Sarah but he doesn't know how to show her. He does the first plan that he thinks of and doesn't consider the consequences. In this case, it was to take Sarah's daughter and to use her as bait to get to Sarah's heart," she explained patiently.

"Alas! I knew it! That's why the King did not return to Lady Sarah's bedroom the night she called us. Because she had broken his heart!" Didymus cried.

"And only she can mend it," Hoggle said quietly. "We need to get Rowena out of the castle but we also need to get Sarah to Jareth without mother and daughter seeing each other."

"But why? Is not Lady Sarah searching for Lady Rowena?" an extremely confused Didymus asked.

Jaqualine closed her eyes and tried to remember everything she had learned from her crystal before Hoggle had come along. "Jareth is pretending to marry Rowena. Sarah is traveling through the labyrinth to find her. Jareth is trying his hardest to keep Rowena from finding out about Sarah and that her mother is coming to find her." She opened her eyes to find the fox and dwarf gaping at her. "What? I'm a Salizkan remember? I know these things!"

"Right. I forgots," Hoggle mumbled under his breathe. He spoke louder and said, "All right. Let's get goin'." He took a step towards the bridge but Didymus leaped in front of him.

"Sir Hoggle! Thou hast forgotten mine sacred vow! None may cross the bridge without my permission!" the fox cried.

Hoggle sighed. "Sir Didymus, may we have your permission?"

Didymus paused then laughed. "Of course my good sir! Ambrosius! Thee can come out now!" he called. An enormous white sheepdog with a colorful blanket underneath his brown saddle trotted towards them. Jaqualine had to laugh. She choked and covered it with a cough. Hoggle snorted and rolled his eyes. He approached the new bridge that was made of gray colored stones, unlike the one before which had been made of a single wood plank.

Satisfied that this bridge would not collapse, Hoggle hurried across to the other side. Jaqualine swallowed another giggle as the fox leapt upon the saddle and rode the dog as if he were a horse. Ambrosius neighed and trotted across the bridge. Jaqualine shook her head and muttered, "Anything is possible."

She started across the bridge, one hand clutching her offended nose, the other grasping the edge of the bridge. Hoggle offered her his hand as she stepped over the last stone step. As soon as she was safe on the dirt ground, he released her hand and led the trio into the brown and dying forest just ahead. Didymus waited for Jaqualine to go ahead and his steed. She nodded her head in thanks and walked in front of the large sheepdog, patting his head as she walked by.

Twenty minutes passed in silence as the trio walked through the forest. Jaqualine looked up at the castle but found her self distracted. A single purple lock hung in her face. She blew at it to entertain herself. It flopped back in her face and she blew it again. She soon grew bored again and tucked the piece behind her ear. She fiddled with the amethyst teardrop around her neck. It had been left around her neck when Jareth found her in her basket in front of his castle. It was the only belonging she had that had been her mother's. She would never understand why she had been abandoned seeing that she would never be able to talk to her mother.

She looked up and saw…stuff. It surrounded her, flowing in waves of random objects that had been dumped there. _This must be the junkyard that Sarah journeyed through,_ Jaqualine thought, recalling the place in Labyrinth. Ambrosius whinnied, terrified of the moving junk piles. _Moving junk piles? That's not possible,_ she thought. She stared intently at the piles. There was something under them. It looked like a goblin but she couldn't be sure. No, it was too big to be a goblin. She soon realized that it was the Junk People collecting junk that they thought was treasure. She turned her attention away from the moving piles and scanned the rest of the junkyard. Fires were burning randomly throughout the enormous yard. She turned towards the junk, looking to see what was there. She found a beat up looking teddy bear, a pair of panda slippers and many other odd objects.

The Junk People watched the young woman that was examining their treasures. They were hurrying through but the she looked at many of the objects as she walked. Their faces wrinkled in interest. _She can join us,_ they whispered among themselves. _Yes, yes, let her join us._ They picked the wisest of the people to go and talk to her. She approached her, eager to recruit a new member. She stared at her, trying to catch her attention. She turned to face the woman and see what she wanted.

"Yes?" Jaqualine asked politely.

"What is your name, dearie?" the woman croaked.

"Jaqualine, ma'am," she replied.

"You can call me Agnes. Let me show you something, dearie," she said.

"I...uh…I don't know."

"Come, come. It's all right," Agnes pleaded.

"Oh, all right. Sir Didymus?" Jaqualine said over her shoulder.

"Yes, good lady?" the terrier asked.

"I'll be right along. Go ahead with Hoggle," she said.

"Yes but hurry back my lady," Didymus said and trotted after Hoggle.

"Come, come. Yes, yes. This you must see. You see, we could not help but notice just how fascinated you are with our treasures, dearie. The other ladies and I have talked it over and we have decided that we want you to become one of us," Agnes suggested.

"I can't. I'm sorry, but I can't. It isn't that I don't appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but I'm already on a quest as it is," Jaqualine said. A nervous feeling settled into her stomach.

"That's a shame. I guess we'll have to keep you here by force then!" Agnes cackled and shoved Jaqualine. She cried out, stumbled and fell backwards through a hole in the junk, hearing Agnes' cackling.

------------------------

Red lights flashed before Sarah's eyes. In her mind's eye, the red looked like the flaming fires of Hell.

_I'm on the highway to Hell_

_Don't stop me_

_And I'm going down, all the way down _

_I'm on the highway to Hell_

There was a sudden lurch and the ground reappeared beneath James' black boots. Sarah's stomach felt uneasy for she had no idea what was to become of her. She looked up and noticed the tall black castle that loomed over her. "Where are we?" she asked.

"Some call it Hell, some call it the Devil's Lair but I like to call it home," James said. She snorted in her mind, seeing as how her guess was right. He set her down and snapped his fingers. The rope fell off her body and crawled away. She rubbed her numb wrists. He glanced at the darkening sky. Sarah took the opportunity to turn away. He was faster than her and grabbed her around her waist, pulling her back to him.

"You can't go anywhere," he whispered, gazing into her gray eyes. "You are the Chosen One. But that is all about to change. Prophecies can't always be right," he whispered next to her ear. He moved his mouth to her earlobe and nibbled. She roughly moved her head to the side and glared into his amber eyes.

"What the hell is this prophecy?" she demanded. "Why am I the Chosen One?"

"The prophecy was made just before my brothers and I were born. 'Three brothers born together will change the Underground. The eldest is the Keeper of Peace, the influencer of good. The middle is the middle, influenced by both good and evil. The youngest is the Destroyer, the ultimate Keeper of Chaos.

"'_At the brothers' three hundredth birthday, Aboveground and Underground will fall into the youngest's hands. The two will slowly merge together by the thirteenth hour of the thirteenth day after the brothers turn three hundred. Chaos will erupt during that hour and the subjects of both worlds will obey the youngest brother. The eldest will be powerless to stop the youngest. He will control the eldest and destroy him. The middle child will become mortal. The rest of the worlds will slowly be destroyed unless the Chosen One, the only one who defeated the middle brother, returns to the Underground. The Chosen One is the only one who can save the worlds from colliding all together. If the Chosen One cannot save us, the worlds will shatter before our eyes'_," James quoted from memory. "You see it will all work out perfectly. Jareth has already been taken care of. I just need to deal with Jeremy but soon you and I shall rule, together."

"I…I'm the only one who has ever beaten Jareth?" Sarah stammered.

"Yes. No one else has ever even made it as far as you did. They either give up or they don't go through the labyrinth at all," he said, tracing his gloved hand up and down her jaw. She pushed his hand away and it snaked back around her waist.

"Did Jareth…" Her voice failed her and she bent her head and examined her slippered feet peeking out from beneath her cream colored dress.

He reached for her chin and tipped her face up to him. "Did Jareth what?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's pointless to ask now that he's dying somewhere…" her voice faltered.

"So, ask away!" he exclaimed, oblivious to her strained anxiety.

"In the book that I have of Labyrinth, the Goblin King falls deeply in love with the heroine. I always used to pretend that I was that girl. After my adventure, I knew that I had been the heroine all along. But I never found out if…if Jareth actually loved me or if it was just in the book for the sake of it being there," she whispered.

He laughed before answering, "Oh come on, Sarah! He took away your screaming baby brother, reordered time, made your dreams come true and even turned your world upside down. But then when you were all alone with him, he was about to tell you how he couldn't live without you and then BAM! You go and say the magic words. You didn't even give him a chance to explain what he felt. That's why we belong together. We're both cruel hearted people. We should be together forever," he said, toying with her long chocolate hair. They disappeared from the front of the castle and reappeared in front of two huge oak doors. He motioned with his hand and the doors heaved themselves open. He pulled Sarah along behind him, and then closed the doors.

Sarah yanked her hand out of his deathly grasp. She realized what he wanted and she wouldn't go without a fight. She loved Jareth, not his brother. _No,_ she scolded herself. _You're just using Jareth as an excuse._ She stared determinedly at James. His bright amber eyes traveled hungrily down her body. She spun around furiously. To keep her mind off the wonderful thought of punching him, Sarah gazed about the room she had been led into.

The walls were painted a black with red trim. The wall opposite of where she stood had windows every few feet, covering the room, bringing the fiery kingdom indoors. Next to her stood a large wardrobe that was painted black. A few feet from the wardrobe was a vast metal fireplace. Across from the fireplace sat an enormous bed that had four black posts and a black sheer material was draped across the top as a canopy. A thick black velvet blanket lay on the bed along with a hundred black and red pillows.

Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt James' persistent gloved hands place themselves on her shoulders. She refused to face him as he leaned in close to her neck.

"You are mine," his Scottish voice drawled in her ear. Chills raced down her spine. Sarah refused to have anything to do with him. As his hands ran up and down her back, she began to wish that it were Jareth more than anything and that it was Jareth's British voice that whispered in her ear. James massaged her neck. She trembled slightly out of fear. He felt her shudder and smirked slyly. He needed to stop the prophecy before it got any further.

James turned her roughly around to face him. Sarah cringed inwardly as he lowered his thin lips to her forehead and kissed her. He had noticed the look on her face and smirked at her. His fingers played with the ribbons on the neckline of her dress.

"You will come to appreciate me," he murmured. "Once you have my heir, you shall be rewarded greatly."

_Heir?_ She drew back in surprise, all her other thoughts halted. _This has got to stop right now. I refuse to go with this…. this monster! I wish the goblins would come and take me away right now! _Her mind screamed. _Jareth! Help!_ She had no idea if he could hear her but she could try.

James' hands had moved themselves down the ribbons farther. She shivered as the hot air collided with her bare skin and glanced down at her palm, where a small K and E were intertwined. It was then that she remembered she had powers. They could help her get out of her. Sarah summoned all her powers together while James toyed with the neckline of her dress. She aimed her energy at James and fired away. A blue light ripped her away from him. She collapsed on the floor while James remained standing. The light subdued and Sarah glanced up at him. He was towering over her, another smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. He laughed harshly at her feeble attempt to push herself up of the stone floor.

"Sarah, Sarah. Will you never learn? What an utterly childish thing to do! Now your energy is wasted and you have nothing to defend yourself against me. I could take you right here." Sarah's face formed into a look of surprise. He laughed again. "No, I shall wait for you to be able to enjoy it. I don't want to be the only one having fun," he stated sarcastically. James squatted down in front of her. She flinched as his hand approached her face and caressed her cheek. "Now Sarah, to pay for your foolishness, you shall have no supper and stay in your room and prepare yourself for our wedding tomorrow. There shall be no fun for you tonight," he chided her.

"And where would that be?" she snapped, rather gratefully.

"Right through this door," James motioned with his hand and the door next to his bed crept open. He seized her arm and tossed her into the room. He slammed the door shut behind her and it locked with a satisfying click.

"You can't do this!" she shrieked, her temper suddenly getting the better of her. She pounded on the door. "It's not fair!" The tears that had been building up broke loose. She pounded on the door again. There was no response from the other room. She glanced about and noticed another set of doors holding her hostage but ended up with a sore shoulder. She punched the doors one more time but nothing happened.

Sarah sunk to the floor and cried her heart out. She gave up. Jareth could keep Ro. She hoped that he wouldn't marry her but consider raising her as his own child. If that happened, she wondered if Ro would be able to forgive him. She would surely run out of time from the labyrinth. She would be sent back home. Jareth would laugh at her for she had lost. She would never be able to face him again. Not after being forced to stay here in Hell and being married to James and having his children.

Sarah sighed and wiped her face on her sleeve. She pulled herself up by the door handle. She trudged to the wardrobe in the corner and yanked out a black nightgown. She whipped off her homemade dress and threw on the low v-cut satin nightgown. She tossed back the black covers of her bed and clambered on. She pulled the covers up to her chin and flipped on her side.

That night she fell into a shallow dreamless sleep.


	10. Escape Is Not Possible

Chapter Ten --- Escape Is Not Possible

One might believe that when one is locked away, they might try to escape from their bonds. No matter how hard one tries though, they can't escape unless they have the key. Jareth had no key and had long given up on the thought of escaping. His body was weak, in unbearable pain. For the past, what was it now? A year? In reality, it had only been three and a half hours but to the Goblin King it had been centuries. He would be aging faster now that he was Aboveground. Jareth knew that being a mortal meant a shorter time to live, unless, of course, you were Underground. If he ever returned to Underground as a mortal, he would surely die. Most mortals cannot stand the time differences of the two places. Sarah and Ro were both able to survive because they had said the words. All children that are wished away are automatically able to survive.

His golden amulet was growing smaller with every passing minute. As soon as the amulet disappeared, he would be mortal. He couldn't begin to imagine what had happened to his good looks! Here he was, dying, and being conceited as usual. By the bog, what was wrong with him? He should be trying to escape. He turned his head to face the locks and a streak of light flashed before his eyes. _Never mind,_ he thought as he shuddered with a great pain.

Jareth's whole life had been controlled by two prophecies, Jeremy's story and the prophecy about the brothers. The story had led him to Sarah, but had not caused him to fall in love with her. No, she had done that with her spirit. Now that she was a grown woman, she would take out everything that went wrong in her life on her childhood villain. His job was growing harder as she continued to be difficult and as this other ridiculous prophecy pressed down upon their lives. There were no other chances now. He was going to die and he was going to die unhappy. And there was nothing that could be done to stop it.

-------------------------------

Meanwhile, Aboveground in the rather large and busy city of New York, a handsome older looking blonde haired man sat at his maple wood desk in his small top floor apartment. He rubbed his startling blue eyes as he sighed worriedly. He waved his hand in a small circle and a crystal ball appeared. He murmured something under his breath and gazed into the shimmery white depths. His brother, Jareth, appeared in the center. He was still chained to the floor in the abandoned church. He muttered something else and Jareth disappeared to be replaced by an image of a young woman with curly purple hair falling through a dark hole and a dwarf and fox shouting her name. He was only slightly nervous about Jaqualine becoming trapped within the Junk People's powers. He shook his head; she would fight her way out though; she was a strong woman.

The man mumbled under his breath again and she was replaced with his other brother, James. He locked Sarah in her room. He stood against the door, not making a sound but listening to her sobbing pleas. He laughed silently to himself and disappeared from view. The man shook the crystal he held, whispered some more words and James came back into focus. He was getting ready for his journey Aboveground. _Damn,_ the man thought. That meant he would have to face him soon. His wife should be home at any minute. He would have to send her Underground.

"Jeremy?" a feminine voice echoed through out the apartment. _Right on time,_ he thought.

"In the study, Linda," his husky American accented voice called. Footsteps approached the study. The door swung open to reveal a beautiful older woman standing there. She had long chocolate colored hair that was highlighted with silver streaks and stunning gray eyes with flecks of brown in them. Her petite figure adorned in a sundress glowed in the light from the hallway. She quietly approached the man and sat next to him.

"Working on papers from Underground?" Linda asked him.

"Yes. The dragons from James' kingdom were set loose in the kingdom. My brother can be such an idiot sometimes. " Jeremy sighed and ran his fingers through his champagne blonde hair.

"What else is wrong?" she asked, leaning over and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"How did you know?" he asked, turning his head to see her face.

"I know you too well," she replied. "What is it, Jeremy? You look like you haven't taken your Age Proof potion today. Or is it because you haven't been Underground in a while?"

"I took the potion, dearest." He laughed slightly. "James is coming here and confronting me," he continued seriously. Linda nodded her head and braced herself for what he was about to say. He rubbed his forehead before continuing. "You know that James was bound to try and make the prophecy come true. My brothers and I turned three hundred twelve days ago by Underground Standards. By thirteen o'clock tonight in the Underground, both Aboveground and Underground will merge together. Jareth is already on the verge of becoming mortal and is in great peril. He won't be able to survive for he is not used to living in a mortal world.

"I have been watching the…progress in the Underground and your daughter and granddaughter are at James' power as we speak. Sarah is locked in her bedroom in his castle. Rowena is now heading with two of Jareth's most trusted servants to find Jareth. He is being held in an abandoned church not far from her home," he explained slowly. This was terribly difficult for him to tell his wife that her only child was in great danger as was her only grandchild.

"What's going to happen to Sarah and Rowena?" Linda asked timidly.

"As I told you before, Sarah is now part Fae. At thirteen o'clock tonight, she might permanently become Fae. I don't know what the effects will be, I don't even know if she'll remain human. We'll have to see. She is sleeping now and I hope that she'll sleep through the transformation. Jareth had told her that she would be turned into a goblin at thirteen o'clock if she didn't succeed to make it through his labyrinth. He would never actually turn her into a goblin but magic takes the threat seriously and his magic is flowing through her veins right now. Her magic will mix with his and well, I'm not sure what will happen. This has never happened before.

"Rowena will be fine. She is with some very trust worthy, um, people right now. They should meet up with Jaqualine, Hoggle and Sir Didymus soon. That is if Jaqualine can escape from the Junk People," Jeremy said. He laughed nervously at the look on Linda's face. "Don't worry though. Jaqualine's a bright Salizkan. She'll pull through."

"What about Sarah? Are you just going to sit around and let James torture her?" Linda demanded.

"No, love. I need to…fight James when he gets here. I need you to go and wait for me at the castle. If I survive, I will come to you and fill you in. If not, you will know and I need you to wait for Sarah and help her save Jareth. She's the only one that can save him," he said.

Jeremy stood, bent over Linda and kissed her quickly. "I need you to leave soon for James is coming for a visit."

"I'll go as soon as I can as long as you promise that you won't die," Linda pointed her finger at him.

"I can't promise that for I'm immortal but I'll try not to fall under James' control," he laughed, pushing her accusing finger away from him. She smiled at him and kissed him again. She turned on her toes, her long hair swing behind her and walked out the door. He smiled sadly at her retreating back.

In their green bedroom, Linda sank onto the bed, her knees weak. She had been Underground many a time but now she felt lost. Jeremy was making her leave so he could keep her safe. What about him, though? Who would keep him safe? She thought back to when she and James had first met, at her wedding. He had given her the cold shoulder and was rather unwelcoming. She hadn't realized just how dangerous he was then.

Standing up, Linda searched her room for something more suitable to wear Underground. She dug out a simple purple kirtle with black laces across the bodice, boots, and a black cape with a hood. She quickly put on her clothes and pulled on her boots. She threw her long hair into a braid that cascaded down her back. She tossed her sundress and sandals carelessly on the bed.

"Ready, darling?" he asked as Linda entered the small study again. She nodded her head slightly. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll be there as soon as I can." Jeremy was already holding a crystal in his hand. Linda looked at it cautiously and put her hood over her head. "Goodbye my love," he whispered as he threw it at her and it surrounded her thin body. She disappeared from the room with a soft pop and reappeared in front of the castle.

------------------------------

A clear wall surrounded Rowena and Clothilda, trapping them into the complex transformation. Ro watched in awe, her mouth open slightly, as Clothilda began to change. She could only catch glimpses of her as bright lights blocked out her view. Another bright flash of light exploded between the girls and Ro collapsed on the cold stone floor.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn't imagine what Clothilda would look like. She slowly opened her eyes and gasped. Before her sat Clothilda, but not the same girl that had existed mere moments before. The Clothilda that was sitting before her now could have been her twin sister. Clothilda had her hair, eyes, body and was even her height from what she could see.

"Oh my gosh," Ro breathed. Clothilda glanced up at her startled.

"What?" she asked suspiciously. Ro jumped to her feet and grabbed the silver hand mirror off of her vanity. She rushed over to the once goblin and forced it in front of her face. Her perfect pink lips formed an **O** as she stared into the mirror, examining her new look. "Is…is that r-really me?" she stammered, fascinated with her face. Ro nodded her head. Clothilda gave an excited squeal. "By the bog, we're twins!" Her face glowed with excitement.

"_Ravkor br, xkm dwkdt'm gr xr dwwfjyn pwq Ljo Bzhrome_?" the soft whisper of bells questioned.

"Oh goodness!" Clothilda cried. "Of course we should be looking for Jareth! Thank you Beau!"

Ro still gaping at her twin, blinked slowly. "Jareth, right. Coming," she muttered, following Clothilda. As she gazed at her twin from the back, a thought popped into her head. "What if Jareth manages to get free on his own?"

"I doubt that will happen," Clothilda said, spotting the Aboveground clothes lying on the pink bedspread. Her ragged clothes had been torn to almost shreds, covering just enough of her, during the transformation. She reached out for the jeans and tugged them on. She turned around and ripped off the remaining rags. She hurriedly slipped on the black blouse, buttoning it. Turning back towards the bed, she reached for the Converse and struggled with the high-topped shoes.

"Here, let me help you," Ro said. She leaned over her skirts, carefully kneeling on the floor and tied the laces.

"Oh!" she sighed. "These are so comfortable." She stood up and began walking around the room.

Ro spoke, bringing her twin's happiness to a close, "What if something terrible happens and someone needs to find us?"

Clothilda turned to stare at her. "Alright!" she cried. "We'll leave a bloody note!" She walked over to the white desk and pulled out a cream colored piece of parchment. She took a white quill out of the inkwell and began to write. While Clothilda was writing, Ro stared at her look alike. During the transformation, something must have changed in Clothilda's sense of attitude. _She was acting like one of those bubbly people that are too damn happy all the time,_ Ro thought. She had often avoided people like that for she found them rather annoying. _Maybe it'll go away. She's probably just happy not to be a horrid goblin anymore_, she thought.

When Clothilda finished, she tapped the parchment with her finger and muttered some strange words that were foreign to Ro's ears. She looked up at Ro's confused face and smiled. "A bit of a riddle written in Elvish. If it's really that important, they'll translate the note, solve the riddle and find the portal that will bring them directly to us, no matter where we are," she explained.

"Clothilda—," Ro paused. All her previous thoughts vanished. "I can't call you that Aboveground. People will wonder and question us. Not to mention they'll think your mother was insane to name you that," she said. "No offense," she added hastily at the incredulous look on Clothilda's face.

"No, no offense taken. My mother was a bit of an odd ball," she laughed. "Pick a good name and I'll see if I like it. I've never really cared for my name anyhow!"

"There's Christina?" Ro said. Clothilda furiously shook her head. "How about Caitlyn?" She gagged. "There is a nickname but I'm not sure you'd like it." Clothilda shrugged. "Cleo."

"There's a good name! I like it!" she exclaimed.

"Okay, Cleo, are we ready to go?" Ro asked picking up the brown sack filled with the crystals and food.

"Yes, we are, sister," Cleo responded cheerfully. She snapped her fingers and the trio disappeared.

-----------------------------

"Ahh!" Jaqualine cried as she fell face first. The drop seemed to go on forever. Before she could even consider using her magic, she landed with a soft thud.

Startled, Jaqualine felt around, not daring to open her eyes. Her cheek was pressed into something soft and plump. What she had landed on was not dangerously sharp or rough, as she had expected. She opened her eyes to find herself actually sprawled across her bed in her own home. _Maybe it was all just a dream,_ she thought. She sat up and ran her fingers over the wall. It felt slightly bumpy and now that she got a good look at it, the earth brown wall looked slightly different. Maybe she was just imagining it.

Realizing how dark it was in her room, she surveyed the room and noticed that her olive green curtains were drawn across the small windows. Hard as she tried, Jaqualine could not remember shutting them. She usually left them open, day and night. She enjoyed watching the sky. Perhaps she had been so tired that she couldn't remember anything she had done yesterday.

Puzzled by her actions, Jaqualine decided that she fancied a walk through the labyrinth the surrounded her home to clear her foggy mind. She staggered to the front door and swung it open gingerly. Instead of seeing the familiar cracked brown walls, Jaqualine was greeted by an old hag that pushed her way into the house. She quickly slammed the door shut but not before Jaqualine saw the junkyard just beyond her front door. _What am I doing in the middle of the junkyard?_ She thought. _Curious, very curious._

"No need to go out there, dearie, no need at all," Agnes chided. Jaqualine turned to face the hag and silently moaned to herself. She hoped it had all been a dream. Turning to face the old woman, she realized suddenly that she couldn't remember what she had just been doing. Agnes made her way into Jaqualine's bedroom and she followed her. Once inside her earth colored bedroom, she found herself being pushed into her olive colored stool that sat in front of her matching vanity.

"Look what you've got here! Take it, that's right. Hold it nice and tightly, there, there," Agnes cackled as she pushed a crystal into Jaqualine's hands. She stared at the purple mist trapped within the clear crystal's confinements. More squeals and cackles followed as Agnes discovered Jaqualine's precious possessions and pushed them into her arms. Her favorite dreamcatcher, a musical trinket that was gold and white that formed a gazebo. Underneath the magnificent structure was a brunette swallowed up in a glorious white ball gown. When the high pitched musical tune of Greensleeves played, the girl twirled around in circles, dancing. Jareth had given it to her for her fifth birthday. Another treasure was her favorite book, Labyrinth, a golden locket that Jareth had presented to her for her sixteenth birthday and her most cherished possession; the amethyst teardrop that was attached to a silver ribbon. It was the only thing she had ever received from her mother. As she gazed at it, she felt a rush of surprise wash over her. She wore it day and night and it never left her throat. Her hand drifted absently to her throat and made contact with the silk ribbon and the teardrop. A gasp escaped her lips.

Agnes glanced her. "What is it, dearie?" Jaqualine carefully looked around her at all of her possessions; the wheels in her brain spinning furiously. Her silver eyes narrowed as it suddenly hit her.

"It's all junk," she said, a look of triumph appeared on her face.

"No it's not!" Agnes snapped, offended.

"Yes it is!" Jaqualine cried, leaping to her feet. She ran to the front door and ripped it open. She fled from the house and tripped on the junk that lay scattered under her feet. Regaining her footing, she rushed over to where Hoggle and Sir Didymus stood; peering down the hole she had fallen through.

"Let's go!" she said breathlessly. Hoggle gave a startled yelp and practically jumped out of his skin while Didymus spun around and drew his staff before he realized that it was only Jaqualine. He staffed his weapon quickly and bowed before her.

"Milady," he said, kissing her hand. Jaqualine blushed. "It is good to see that thou is alive and well."

"What happened?" Hoggle demanded, saving her from Didymus' dramatics.

"I'll tell you on the way," Jaqualine replied and led the way to the black gates of the Goblin City.


	11. A Fae Battle

Chapter Eleven --- A Fae Battle

Back Aboveground, he sat on the floor, his long muscular legs crisscrossed, meditating. He would need all of his strength for the upcoming challenge. His breathing was slow and calm. He waited for five minutes, concentrating on his energy source. He realized that he would need all of it if he wished to try to defeat his younger brother. This was going to be the biggest challenge of his life; defeating his own blood.

From behind Jeremy, came a soft rustling of feathers and the swish of cloth. He turned around to find James grinning at him. He was clad in black breeches, a ruffled black poet shirt that exposed his gold amulet, a shiny black cape that brushed the floor and his black knee high boots. James flashed him a devilishly wicked smirk. He nodded his head in response.

"Hello James," he said calmly, standing up. He thought of a more appropriate outfit and it appeared in place of his designer jeans and white t-shirt. His outfit now consisted of white breeches and an ivory colored poet's shirt. His amulet pressed delicately on the very little bit of chest showing.

"Yes, hello," James sneered at his brother's change of attire. "Let's get started then, shall we?"

"Of course. Proceed."

James looked slightly taken aback but he quickly recovered. "You know, dear brother, that this prophecy must come true. I am destined to rule both worlds."

"Yes, I am quite well aware of the fact, thank you. You have mentioned it many a time," he said. He waved his hand and two small glasses and a large glass bottle full of wine appeared. "May I offer you something to drink?" he asked, uncorking the bottle and pouring the wine. He held one to James, who stared at the glass.

"I don't have time to drink, you idiot! I intend to do my business and get out of here before your pretty little wife comes home," he thundered.

"Yes, except my pretty little wife is actually on an important business trip right now," Jeremy said, fingering the rim of his glass. He took a small sip and looked back at James.

"Is that so? Then she'll return to find your dead body. What a pleasant surprise, eh?" James sneered. "But a queen can't rule without a king, can she?"

"I believe that it has occurred once or twice before—"

"Shut up. It was not a question."

"But you asked—"

"It was a fact!" James snapped impatiently. "That's where I come in. Everyone's in mourning for the great almighty king—"

"Thank you," Jeremy interrupted.

"Shut up!" James roared. "Anyways," his amber eyes flashed daggers, "I turn Linda's life into a living hell. She realizes that she can't handle being a queen and I convince her to hand your pathetic kingdom to me," he proclaimed. "Once Jareth is mortal, he will also hand over his kingdom because no one Underground wants a mortal ruler. They'll want me and I'll rule!"

"That's quite a plan there," Jeremy commented casually. "But, uh, what if someone were to stop you?"

James stood up abruptly. "Whom do you have in mind?"

"No one." James raised an eyebrow. "Oh alright. What about Sarah's daughter or even Sarah herself?" Jeremy asked.

James appeared to breath a sigh of relief. "Sarah's daughter is no threat to me. She's nothing but a child. Sarah is preparing herself to become Queen of Knaves a.k.a. my wife.

"By locking her in her bedroom? Brother, that is not the way to handle a woman, let alone, do I dare say, a fiancée?"

"You're the stupid Fae that who made the mistake of eloping with a mortal!"

"And what are you about to do with Sarah?"

There was a pause before James finally retorted, "She's not all that mortal."

"I know. That's why she's a threat to you," he replied.

"She doesn't even know how to use her powers!" James laughed.

_She will soon enough and will catch you by surprise,_ Jeremy thought. Instead he said, "What if she doesn't marry you or at least want to?"

"She will or she'll watch her child be destroyed piece by piece."

"If you're ruling Underground and Aboveground, won't you rule Jareth too?" Jeremy asked cautiously. James' face turned from glee to confusion. Suddenly, it flashed with excitement as he realized what that meant.

"I get to kill him too," James breathed.

"I was actually hoping that you'd rule him, not commit another murder. Remember the prophecy. It says that Jareth's rights as a Fae will be taken and he shall become mortal—"

"Screw the prophecy! I'll do whatever the hell I feel like doing as long as I'm the ultimate ruler!" James declared. He glanced at Jeremy as though seeing him for the first time. "But, first I have to overcome the obstacles that are in my way." Black jets of light shot from his raised hand and flew at Jeremy. He was ready for it and defended himself by firing white jets of light out of his own hands. The two very different magics met in the middle and made one long gold beam. Neither brother could break it nor fight it. James inched his way slowly towards Jeremy. The beam between their outstretched hands began to vibrate uncontrollably.

_Hold on, you can do it,_ Jeremy thought. He imagined his brother chained to the floor. James immediately collapsed on the floor and struggled to free himself as chains slid over his wrists and ankles. Jeremy moved his hand to the side and the gold beam vanished. A moment later, James was back on his feet and throwing a black flaming ball at Jeremy. He ducked behind his desk and heard the ball make contact. He looked up to see a large burnt hole in the wood. Thinking quickly, he aimed a crystal at James through the hole. It changed into a white bubble, trapping James within its confinements. James banged on the bubble furiously, but nothing happened. A small smile pulled at the corners of Jeremy's mouth.

"I think you've learned your lesson," he said.

Suddenly, Jeremy's feet left the study floor and landed on a cold tiled floor. A pair of black boots within a bubble landed beside him. Pain flashed through his body, blinding him momentarily. He collapsed on his knees heavily as the pain took over his mind. He pressed his palms to his head. It hurt so much. _This must be what it feels like to die,_ he thought.

"Where are we?" he forced the words from his throat.

"Just giving you a little taste of what Jareth's been going through," James cackled. Jeremy glanced up. His brother was smirking at him from inside his bubble. "Weakening you up a wee bit!"

"Duel like…a real…Fae!" Jeremy spat. Gasping for breath, he continued. "A…a sword fight…No magic. Who ever wins…gets to…live. Who ever…bleeds first…spends eternity locked…in my dungeons!"

"Agreed," James sneered. The brothers disappeared from the church and reappeared in Jeremy's dueling room in his castle. Jeremy landed with a soft thud as his boots clicked on the white marble floor. James did the same yet as he landed the bubble surrounding him popped. In its place, two large iron and silver swords floated in midair. James snatched a protective glove and his silver and black handled sword and pointed it at Jeremy.

Jeremy also reached for a glove and his sword, pulling it swiftly towards him. He ran his fingers over the pure silver hilt, the dove engraved on the hilt and the small diamonds that were its magnificent eyes. The sword was lightweight and ready to fight anything thrown at it.

James attacked as Jeremy looked up expectantly. He parried quickly, knowing that James would make the first move. He changed from defense to offense and attacked James' left side. The attack was blocked with a swift parry. He altered the sword to aim for James' right knee. A rip of cloth was heard as James' sword ripped through Jeremy's poet shirt. Jeremy gazed at the sleeve and the red liquid seeping through it.

"It appears that I have won," James laughed. "But since it is you who has lost, I feel obliged to change the rules a wee bit. I think I'll be killing you now."

"Go ahead," Jeremy replied with a nod of his head. James raised his sword above his head, the blade aimed at Jeremy's chest. It glinted dangerously in the sunlight that shone through the high windows. Behind his back, he waved his right hand. On his chest, a clear protective boundary appeared. He could feel it press upon his chest. James drove the blade down into Jeremy's chest.

"Ah!" he gasped. His hand clutched his heart but it actually was a tickling feeling with the protective boundary on it. Dragon blood began pouring out from his skin. James pulled the sword out, obviously satisfied. Blood coated the sword. James laughed and kicked Jeremy once for good luck. Jeremy rolled his eyes into the back of his head and lay still on the ground. There was a rustle of wings and James was gone. Jeremy slowly opened his eyes and stood up. He removed the boundary with a final wave of his hand.

"Thank the heavens that's over," he muttered.

------------------------------------

The ground reappeared beneath Ro's shoes and she breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced about their location. This place was oddly familiar to her. It hit her; this was her backyard. There was her pretend theater and all of her costumes and 'junk'. "Why are we here?" she demanded, glancing up at the large blue Victorian house.

"I found out that the church that Jareth is in is just down the street from your house. This is your house, right?" Cleo asked.

"Wp vwkqor jm jo; wmlrqgor olr gwkdty'm lzir zofrt!" Beau chimed.

"'Of course it is!' Beau, shut up," she mimicked. "Just double checking."

"Yeah, it is!" Ro exclaimed furiously.

"What? Do you not want to be here?" Cleo asked.

"No!" she shouted. "I love my room but I hate this place! I hate being here and living with my self-centered mother. She's a cold hard b—"

"Whoa!" Cleo interrupted. "Why is she, um, so cold and hard?"

"Ever since my father died, she's ignored me and shut me out of her life! She hates me. All we do is fight and about everything! She used to care and love me but now she doesn't give a damn about anything that doesn't have to do with her!" Ro yelled.

"I'm sorry," Cleo whispered. She was close to tears.

"No, I'm sorry," Ro sighed heavily. "I've just been so angry at everything in my life, every since my dad died. I've thought about death many a time and just hoped that it would come quickly. But now that I know the Underground is a real place, I just hope that life there would be better than Aboveground. So far, it's sucked. I know that Jareth doesn't love me. He seems to be in love with another and is trying hard to hide it from me. At times I feel as though I'm being forced to marry him but the problem is, I don't even know him. I know he wouldn't try to hurt me but there's something going on here and I intend to figure out what it is," Ro proclaimed. Cleo flashed an uneasy glance at Beau.

"I don't what you're talking about," she said returning her gaze to Ro.

"Neither do I. I just think some funny stuff is going on here behind my back. I just want to know what it is."

"Do you still want to save Jareth?" Cleo asked cautiously.

Ro thought it over quickly and carefully. She couldn't let a defenseless, attacked even, man die. "Yes. Let's go before anyone sees me in this. People don't understand anything here," she said marching into the house. Beau and Cleo followed silently. Ro slammed the sliding glass door behind them. She walked through the kitchen and turned violently towards the grand maple staircase. She took the steps two at a time up the stairs. Cleo shot a 'Don't say anything or I'll kill you' look at Beau and hurried after Ro. Beau shrugged and floated up after the twins.

They passed at least three doors before they found Ro's room. Inside, the walls were painted a sky blue but was covered over with posters of M. C. Escher poster, a poster of a labyrinth, a poster of David Bowie, and a few other random ones of people they didn't recognize. A large mattress lay on the floor covered with a sky blue blanket. Two white pillows lay on the blanket. There was a white desk with a mirror above it in one corner. French doors led out to a very small balcony that overlooked small suburban area they lived in. As Cleo poked around, she noticed a small statue of Jareth on Ro's desk. There was a stuffed doll of a fiery on her dresser, a statue of Hoggle on her bookshelf. _Maybe Ro really had no idea what she gotten into when she called on the goblins,_ Cleo thought. _She had lived in her fantasy world and never really believed all of this could be true. _

"I'm sorry that I was so short with you before but I've just been…moody lately and when I'm in a bad mood, I'll take the whole world down with me," Ro explained as she rummaged through a closet.

"Hey, no problem. I know you didn't mean it," Cleo laughed. "What do we have to do now?"

"We'll go in a few minutes to this church that you found out about," Ro replied. She stepped behind a dressing screen and began to change into a pair of jeans and a blouse. She took out the jewelry and brushed out her hair, pulling it into a ponytail. Finished, she faced Cleo.

"I don't know if I'll be able to go on the grounds though," Cleo said thoughtfully. "I am, after all, part Fae. All true goblins are part Fae."

"That's all right. I'm not a Fae so I can go on the grounds. I'll check. Okay, I'm ready to go," she said walking towards the door. "Come on Beau." She linked her arm through Cleo's arm. Her twin glanced at her startled but smiled back at her beautiful face. They hurried out the door and went slowly downstairs. Beau chimed anxiously behind them. Ro opened the front door and let Beau and Cleo go first. She closed the door tightly behind them and hurried down the stone front steps. The trio walked quickly to the church they had to search.

Fifteen minutes later, the group arrived at the church. Cleo took a few steps forward and gasped. Her insides shifted and she fell to her knees on the ground. Her head pounded, her blood rushed furiously inside her body and she felt sick to her stomach. Ro kneeled down next to her.

"We have to get you off the grounds!" she cried, dragging Cleo with her. A few steps later, Cleo lay on the ground.

"I'm okay," she panted. "I'm all right. Go and see if Jareth's in there." Ro nodded her head and started off towards the burnt church. She paused and turned back to Cleo.

"Are you sure this is the right place?"

Cleo nodded slightly and winced in pain. "Go!"

She approached the charred building cautiously. It looked as though it would fall at any second. She pushed open what remained of the doors. Inside was a long dark hallway filled with burnt portraits and statues. Ro stepped through the opening and the rubble crunched beneath his feet. Ro made her way to the end of the hallway. Upon reaching the opening at the end, she discovered Jareth, chained to a floor, sleeping. His wild hair had gone flat and was dull blonde. He was very pale and sickly. She couldn't help but gape at the sight of the powerful Goblin King weak and powerless.

"Oh Jareth," she whispered. "I'll be back with help soon!" His faced strained as he tried to see who was talking. "Oh, don't move! I'll be right back! I promise," she said before running out the church again.

-------------------------------

It was quiet, too quiet. The usually busy market place in the Goblin City was deserted. Maybe they were getting ready for Jareth and Rowena's 'wedding'. Hoggle glanced at the large gold clock in the center of the city. It was eleven o'clock. They still had two hours to find Rowena, get her away from Jareth, find Sarah and bring her to Jareth. There wasn't much time at all.

He stole a glance at Jaqualine. Her forehead was wrinkled in concentration. Her silver eyes were narrowed and her eyebrows were furrowed. A single purple curl hung in her face. He wondered what she was thinking about. Maybe the same thing he was; about the market being deserted.

"We must go in undetected," Jaqualine whispered to them as they approached the castle. He nodded and followed her lead. She slowly walked to the side of the castle to a large garden that gave privacy from peering eyes. They headed towards an overflowing vine. It was a grapevine that would make wine during the harvest. The grapes would make the Goblin City's famous peach wine. Jaqualine reached the vine first. "Wait here," she said to them and ascended the vine. Carefully and skillfully, she climbed the brown lattice that supported the growing grapes. Once she was about seven or eight feet in the air, she pushed a loose stone in the wall. The grapevine swung open. Jaqualine lost her footing on the lattice and dangled above their heads for a moment. She swung herself back on and climbed down.

Hoggle gaped at her as she jumped from the vine. "'Ow did ye—"

"Know?" She smiled mysteriously. "I used to live here. This leads from Jareth's bedroom incase he ever had to make a quick escape without magic or wanted someone to come and visit him undetected." She turned her back on Hoggle's awed face and hurried into the tunnel. Hoggle and Didymus followed her and the grapevine shut behind them. Jaqualine summoned a crystal and it turned into a purple candle.

"That is quite impressive, milady," Didymus' voice floated through the air to their ears in the semidarkness.

"Thank you, Sir Didymus. Follow me quickly," she replied. Their shadows were illuminated on the smooth walls. Minutes passed before Jaqualine spoke again. "Watch out for the stairs. We have an awful lot of climbing to do. And mind you, the stairs are spiral." Many more minutes passed with Didymus encouraging Ambrosius to keep climbing. Hoggle kept himself busy by counting the number of stairs. _57…58…59._ Once he reached 136 he lost track.

A few more minutes and many more steps later, they bumped into what appeared to be a stonewall. Jaqualine ran her hands delicately over the wall. Hoggle couldn't see what she was doing for her body blocked his view but suddenly the wall slid up. Light filled the small stairwell.

"Mine eyes!" Didymus cried dramatically. Hoggle rolled his eyes to himself but not before Jaqualine saw. Turning away, she peered into the room. Nothing was wrong and she waved to them.

"Come on," she said. Ambrosius trotted nervously through the hole. Hoggle followed the large sheepdog and recognized the room as Jareth's bedroom. In the middle of the farthest wall stood an enormous black-framed canopy bed with sheer black curtains tied to the poles. Silk wine covers offset the black. Black and wine draperies adorned seven tall windows. Wood floors offset the color. The walls were painted a rich wine color. On the ceiling, a massive gold chandelier hung, its thousands of diamonds glistened in the hundreds of candles glow.

Jaqualine treaded towards a large black door. Shaking himself out of awe, Hoggle realized that she was leaving. He reached out to poke the terrier next to him and followed her quietly into a new room. Inside were hundreds of books lining the golden colored walls. A black leather couch sat before a blazing fire. Only one wall was bare save for the large portrait of a young woman. Her chocolate hair was curled and pinned off her face. Her stunning gray eyes danced on the canvas. Her lips were a perfect pout with a small gap showing off some of her perfect white teeth. Wearing a magnificent ball gown, she leaned slightly on a railing that overlooked the labyrinth. She looked happy and content and Hoggle knew that was how Sarah would have looked had she accepted Jareth's offer.

"All right you two. Stop gawking. You've seen Sarah before. We need to find Rowena," Jaqualine said. "I believe that I know where she is but you must be quiet and follow me silently." She turned abruptly to a door on the opposite wall. It creaked as she pulled the brass handle gently. Slowly, her head poked into what lay beyond the door. It popped back in and she motioned the other three. They entered a long hallway adorned with stone floors and pictures on stonewall. Jaqualine tiptoed a dozen or so steps before she stopped abruptly.

"What?" Hoggle whispered.

"This is Rowena's room," she responded.

"How can thee tell?" Didymus asked in a loud whisper. She shushed him with a shake of her head. Pushing the white door open, they entered open to find it empty.

"Where is she?" Hoggle said softly.

"I…I don't know," Jaqualine stammered desperately, her silver eyes darting from side to side.

"Do thee believe that His Majesty would have had anything to do with the Princess's disappearance?" Didymus spoke up.

She turned to look at the fox and anger clouded her eyes. "Jareth is a kind Fae except for the role he is forced to play as the Goblin King," she snapped.

Didymus appeared to be flustered. "I am terribly sorry, milady," he finally said and bowed.

She sighed. "No, I'm sorry. Everyone gets on his case that he's horrible but he really isn't. He has feelings too."

"Of course he does, milady," he said gently and bowed again. Once in a blue moon, His Majesty had been kind to him.

"'Ere! Look at this!" Hoggle exclaimed. Lying on the pink bedspread was a thick folded piece of parchment. Jaqualine scurried over and snatched it up. She unfolded it hurriedly.

"It's in another language!" she cried a moment later.

"Let me see it," Hoggle said kindly and pulled it gently out of her hands. He looked it over, realizing it was in Elvish, and translated in his head. He began to read the note in English for Jaqualine and Didymus,

"_Do you wonder where we are?_

_We could be someplace very far. _

_Over the hills, under the sea, _

_These are places we could be._

_A single portal left for you, _

_Brings you someplace new. _

_Solve my riddle if you must,_

_Don't bug us or you'll be a bust. _

_In this castle, the portal lies, _

_Hidden beneath every tie._

_Where it can be seen by all, _

_But never can it fall. _

_No more can I say, _

_We must be on our way.'_ I don't understand what the portal could be," he admitted.

Jaqualine had sunk onto Rowena's bed. She was chewing her bottom lip, gazing off into space. "Read it again," she said, not taking her eyes off the wall. He did so. When he finished, she spoke softly. "Rowena is with someone else, which could be good or bad depending on who she's with. But she's not alone. I don't know where they are but there's a portal that will take us directly to them. They say not to bother them unless it's an emergency, which this is."

"But what about 'In this castle, your portal lies, hidden beneath every tie. Where it can be seen by all but never can it fall.'?" Didymus quoted from memory.

"It's here in the castle. It can be seen by all but it can't fall," she muttered.

"What can never fall in this castle?" Hoggle asked. Jaqualine stared at him startled. "What?" he asked confused.

"The tapestry!" she whispered excitedly.

"What?" they asked together.

"For thousands of years, a tapestry of the labyrinth has hung in the Great Hall. It has never been removed nor can it be. It's sealed to the labyrinth and the castle with magic from the creators. And the ties! You have to tie threads together if you want it to stay! It must be!" she cried, grabbing their wrists and pulling them after her.

Several staircases and hallways later, they stood panting before a large tapestry of the labyrinth. Gazing up at the colorful sight. Hoggle picked out his home, the castle and the Goblin City embedded in the picture. It was handsome old tapestry and it covered from ceiling to floor.

"Just how do we get to the portal, milady?" Didymus asked. Jaqualine put her hands on the tapestry and gently felt around.

"I'm not sure." She bit her lip and glanced at the letter again. "Hidden beneath every tie…" Her voice faded and she began to examine the tapestry carefully. Hoggle and Didymus glanced at each other and shrugged.

"Aha!" she exclaimed. She grabbed two loose threads and tied them together. The tapestry began to glow and she stepped back. The woven picture slowly faded and they appeared in a very futuristic place. They gaped at where they were. Never had they seen paved roads or what looked like houses so clean and neat. But across the road stood a crumbling charred building. On a tower at the very top sat a crucifix.

"It's a church," Hoggle realized.

"Yes, but what on earth are they doing at church Aboveground, especially one that is burnt?" Jaqualine wondered. She looked at the building and saw a girl sitting alone on the sidewalk before the walkway to the church. She was wearing blue pants, a black blouse and unusual black shoes. She had chocolate brown hair that cascaded down her back. _That must be Rowena_, Jaqualine thought.

Didymus had the same thought and said, "Is that not Lady Rowena?"

"Yeah, let's go talk to 'er," Hoggle said.

"Wait," Jaqualine said as another girl emerged from the church. She was wearing a jeans, a white blouse and also had long chocolate hair.

"Or is that the lady?" Didymus questioned.

"I dunno," Hoggle said softly. The second one was motioning with her hands and speaking very quickly. The other slowly stood as though in pain. Her face expressed concern and worry.

"Excuse me!" Jaqualine cried, running towards them. They turned around, startled.

"Yes?" the second girl asked vigilantly.

"Which one of you is Lady Rowena, fiancée to King Jareth of the Goblin City?"

"I am," the identical girls said together. The second girl said something in the other's ear. She nodded and backed away.

"I am. May I help you?" she smiled sympathetically.

"We're 'ere to rescue you from Jareth," Hoggle said. The girl laughed slightly.  
"Rescue me? I have just finished searching for my…fiancée. I could've used some rescuing before though," she said.

They gave her a puzzled look. "What?" Hoggle asked incredulously.

"What? That I needed rescuing before?"

"Nay, about searching for Jareth."

"Oh, Jareth has been kidnapped but I have found him," she said.

"He's been brought Aboveground?" Jaqualine asked. Bells rang in the background.

"Yes. He's locked in that church behind me. We could use some help if you don't mind as long as I know your names," the girl explained.

"I'm Jaqualine of the Salizkan and friend of Jareth. This is Hoggle, dwarf and guardian of the Entrance to the Labyrinth. This here is Sir Didymus, fox and the bravest knight you shall ever meet. And his noble steed, Ambrosius," she added quickly.

"I am pleased to meet you all. You know perfectly well who I am. This is Cleo; a goblin that's under a human transformation spell so no human questions her appearance and my trusted advisor. And those bells you might hear is Beau, our breeze friend and former nurse to Cleo."

"Dearest lady, why are you trying to rescue the man who's forcing you to marry him?" Didymus asked, suddenly. Jaqualine gasped. How could he ask such a thing? She watched Rowena carefully. She knelt down besides him and rubbed behind his ears.

"I'm not quite sure of that my self, good sire. I do not wish to marry him yet I cannot let a man die. And," she added standing up. "Please call me Ro." She looked over Hoggle and Sir Didymus and said, "I recognize you both. Pray tell, do you know Sarah Williams?"

"Ah! Sarah!" Hoggle exclaimed. "She was my good friend when she came to the labyrinth and when she was here to find—" Jaqualine slapped her hand over his mouth.

"So you do know my mother. She was here. And answer me this, does Jareth still love her?" Ro demanded. Jaqualine froze, her eyes darting between Hoggle and Ro.

"It isn't my place to tell you. It is Jareth's. If we rescue him quickly, he will explain it all to you for it is too complicated for me to tell," she decided quietly.

--------------------------------

Linda paced back and forth over the gold carpet that led to the two thrones. She had already bit her nails, tapped her foot and ran her fingers through her hair. She was running out of nervous habits to do. She had sent away the court that had surrounded her the moment she had appeared by pleading a dreadful headache. She started taping her index finger on her nose, wondering and waiting. Minutes passed and still no sign of Jeremy. She sighed and turned back towards the thrones and screamed.

"Waiting for me, darling?" Jeremy asked, laughter dancing behind his words.

"Y-you…you scared me! I was so worried! Oh, thank the heavens you're safe!" she exclaimed, her hand on her heart, catching her breath. He opened his arms and she fell into them gratefully. A terrible smell came from his clothes. "You smell like a dragon," she commented, eyebrow raised.

"You don't know the half of it," he replied.


End file.
